Oops!
by Fallen-Yuki
Summary: While training with Oromis, one of Eragon's spells goes completely awry! Starts during Eldest and goes on into what would be the third book. Originally Eragon x OC but now Murtagh x OC.
1. Prologue

Eragon – Oops! – Prologue

Author Note: I got this idea, from a mixture of sources. Please review and tell me what you think.

Summary: When training with Oromis, one of Eragon's spells goes completely awry.

The story takes off when Oromis throws a ball of water at Eragon forcing Eragon to catch it. On his second try, Eragon doesn't get it quite right…

"Reisa du Shur'tugal," Eragon immediately regretted his word choice realizing that his thoughts had strayed and caused him to say 'raise the rider' instead of adurna, meaning 'water.' Eragon immediately felt his energy being drained from him. Oromis rushed over to Eragon in an attempt to lend energy to him. The scar given to Eragon by Durza had begun to throb violently and Eragon fell to the floor. Both Glaedr and Saphira, sensing that something was wrong flew back to the clearing. Sensing the pain flowing from Eragon and the constant draining energy, Saphira connected with Eragon allowing him to take her energy as well. _Do not worry little one, I am here._ Despite all of their efforts, Eragon's body soon fell limp and unconscious.

When Eragon next awoke, he found himself on a bed inside of Oromis' cabin. _I'm glad to see that you are okay. _Eragon opened his eyes halfway before feeling too drained to open them any further. _I'm not so sure if okay is the correct way to describe it._ Eragon closed his eyes in an attempt to relax. _You're okay compared to how you were earlier. You almost died. You should take more care when choosing your words._ Saphira warned him. _I know, it's just that no matter how much time has elapsed, I can't help but think that I really am a rider._ Noticing Eragon's consciousness, Oromis brought a potion to him.

"You almost killed yourself. You need to be more careful next time." Oromis was stern but caring.

"I know, Saphira has already lectured me." Eragon spoke softly for lack of energy. Oromis hefted him up so that he was sitting upright.

"Drink this; it will restore some of your energy. I've been working on it the entire time you were out." He poured the liquid down Eragon's throat. The liquid burned his throat causing him to choke and cough, but it oddly caused him relief.

"How long was I unconscious?" Eragon found the energy in him to open his eyes the rest of the way, but everything around him was blurry.

"Almost 10 hours. That was quite a spell you cast. I've never seen anything like it in my life. It would have killed you if it hadn't been for Saphira's help." Eragon thanked Saphira for her help and devotion. "Would you like to see what you have done?" Oromis looked at Eragon sternly.

"What I have done?" Eragon looked confused.

"A spell that takes that much energy must do something." Eragon feared for the damage he may have caused. "Come." Eragon sat up but quickly became dizzy. He sat there for a minute until the room stopped spinning and then stood up. Bracing himself against furniture and other miscellaneous objects, Eragon followed Oromis into another room.

"Why are we going into another room? I cast the spell outside."

"I told you it was like nothing I had ever seen before." Oromis looked over his shoulder at Eragon. _Oromis is worried about the repercussions your spell may cause. _Eragon had begun to worry about how much damage he had caused with such a little slip. Looking around the room Eragon had noticed nothing out of the ordinary, until his eyes fell upon one thing. A girl, in a bed.

Author Note: Please review. This is the second Eragon story that I have started in a day. I don't see myself writing both at the same time. Please give me your input. Good and bad.


	2. Chapter One

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter One

Author Note: Here's chapter one. I hope you enjoy it

Eragon steadied himself on the wall to his right as Oromis contemplated what to do with the girl. "I created her?" Eragon couldn't fathom how he could possibly do such a thing.

"Have I not been over this before? It's impossible to create life. You must have teleported her from somewhere else. Let us just hope that she is not allied with Galbatorix."

_What will happen if she is?_ Eragon voiced Saphira's question.

"We may have no choice." Oromis shook his head.

"What?" Eragon looked at him in disbelief. "You couldn't possibly mean killing her?"

"If she's allied close with Galbatorix, I'm sure she will know how to block her mind. Although, if she isn't, we could possibly just erase her memories of us and return her home." Eragon sighed with relief.

_There's no way I'd let him kill her over something so small._

_Death seems a bit harsh. But Oromis has done everything possible to keep himself and Glaedr a secret._ Eragon understood Saphira's point.

"Will we wait until she awakens?" Eragon wondered how long it would take her to come to.

"No. We will scry her, but with energy from a reserve so that it does not drain our energy." Noticing Eragon's lack of energy Oromis revised his plan. "Perhaps we can wait a bit. All of us need our rest after what you put us through." Eragon's cheeks flushed.

"Sorry Master Oromis." Oromis only grunted in response.

"Let us eat for now; we will just have to ensure that this never happens again. Not even a slight mishap." They sat in what appeared to be some sort of living room.

"Are you going to scry her?" Eragon worried for their safety, but Oromis only looked at uncertainly.

"Not when we are so close. You should be able to sense her presence when she awakens and I know that I can." Oromis words sounded as though they were scolding him for slacking on his training.

_I'll be going hunting. I shall return soon._ Saphira informed Eragon before taking off.

"Since I could enter Arya's mind when she was asleep, couldn't we technically enter her mind and see if she were an enemy or not?" Eragon attempted to consider all possibilities of minimizing the damage he had caused.

"If you have the energy for it, go ahead, but keeping you alive was not as easy as it may sound." Eragon knew that he deserved to be talked to so coldly.

"I'm sorry." Eragon lowered his head and continued eating. They continued to eat in silence until there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Oromis beckoned them.

"Did you request my presence?" Arya stepped in, followed by Orik.

"There has been a mishap with our training." Oromis paused, "Eragon slipped on his words and seems to have transported someone into Ellesmera."

"That is impossible! No person or thing is capable of transporting into Ellesmera!" Arya looked at Oromis with shock.

"This boy has done it. She has not awakened yet." Oromis looked at Orik with question.

"I have just as much of a right to see what is happening with the boy as anybody else here."

"I see." Oromis did not like Orik's pushiness but accepted it for the time being. "Arya, could you please inform her majesty Islanzadi of this occurrence?"

"Yes. I shall return with her word as soon as possible." Arya exited leaving Orik behind.

"As bad as this may turn out, it does give me hope that you could accomplish it Eragon." Orik patted the boy on the back.

"And nearly died trying." Eragon added solemnly. "Had it not been for Saphira and Oromis, I don't believe I would have made it." Orik suddenly looked stern.

"You better be careful then. We can't afford to have anything happen to you."

"Good evening," Oromis glanced at the girl walking through the doorway but she only looked confused.

"**Who are you? And where am I?" **Orik, Eragon, and Oromis looked at her confused, they could not understand her, but they heard the terror in her voice. "**How did I get here?"** Their looks at her only confused her more. _They can't understand me. I might never be able to get home._ None of the males in the room understood exactly what was going on, but they could sense her fear, it was even more apparent to them when she had begun to cry. Eragon looked at both Orik and Oromis unsure of how to react to her and when neither of them made a move he made his way over to her. She looked up as he came closer. Eragon moved slowly afraid of scaring her. "**Who are you?"** She looked even more scared and confused.

_What do I do?_ Eragon had sensed that Saphira had just returned. Saphira peered into the hut with one eye.

_Give her a hug? Comfort her in some way I suppose._ Eragon reached his arms out to bring her close to him. Her eyes got wide and she jerked her arm forward.

"**CREEP!"** She screamed as her fist made contact with his nose. Under normal circumstances Eragon would have evaded the attack, or let it hit him without any bother, but with his lack of energy the small attack was all that it took. Eragon lurched over unconscious. The girl's eyes got even wider in shock. She retreated back into the room she had come from in fear.

Unsure of what reaction he should have Oromis just laughed. Orik looked at Oromis in shock. "He deserved that for what he just put me through." _I think I'm going to enjoy this girl's presence. _Oromis communicated with Glaedr.

_It seems so. Just do not let her distract you or Eragon from training._

_I won't let it happen._ Oromis got up and made his way past Eragon to attempt some form of communication with the girl.

Author Note: I hope you enjoyed it so far. Please review it, any thoughts, comments, or criticisms are welcome!!


	3. Chapter Two

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Two

Oromis found the girl huddled on the bed with her backpack clutched to her chest. She was sobbing uncontrollably. Oromis touched a deep blue sapphire on the wall in order to extract its' energy to prepare himself for his next spell.

"Eyddr eyreya onr!" (Open your ears!) She scooted backward only to find that she was in a corner. A blue metallic air came engulfed her body painlessly. "Can you understand me now?"

"What did you do to me?" She cried out angry and scared.

"I have done nothing to you but allowed you to speak a common language." Oromis explained calmly.

"Then how did I get here?" She lashed out.

"That is a good question, Eragon somehow summoned you here."

"Eragon?" She seemed unsatisfied with every answer she received.

"Yes, the boy that you knocked unconscious." Oromis let out a small smile feeling that it was a just punishment for Eragon.

"Where am I?" She relaxed just a little bit.

"You are currently located in Ellesmera, which is within Du Weldenvarden, which is also located within Alagaesia."

_Ellesmera? Alagaesia?_ Her head was pounding with what she was hearing. Throughout all of the history and geography classes she had attended she had never heard of any of these places. "I just want to go home!" She pleaded hopelessly.

"Where do you consider home?"

"California." She spoke hesitantly for fear that she would be denied of going home. Instead of answering her, Oromis made his way toward the door. "Where are you going? I need to get home!" She almost screamed at him.

"Your home is not of this world," Oromis shook his head and continued out the door. She sat there and cried into her backpack even more. Oromis arrived into the main room to find Eragon sitting on the floor rubbing his nose, Orik standing next to him. "Congratulations Eragon."

"It is worse than I originally anticipated." Eragon groaned at his failure. "That girl is not even from this universe."

"What!?" Eragon found no reason to hide his shock or failure.

"Unless you know where California is…" Oromis sat down. "I don't know how she got here and unfortunately that means I don't know how to return her either."

_I'm only causing pain Saphira. I've been given great gifts… and yet I only use them negatively._ Eragon lowered his head.

_There is nothing that you can do about it now except try to make her life here comfortable. And try your best to find a way to send her back._ Saphira tried to comfort him. _The path set in front of you will not always be easy little one._ Eragon nodded and headed into the room.

"What do you want?" She glared at him from behind her backpack. Eragon took a step forward.

"I know that nothing I say can fix what I've done… but…" He took a deep breath. "I'll do anything I can to make your life here comfortable and I will study as much as I can to find a way to send you back home." Eragon bowed to her.

"Thank you." She wiped her tears away with the back of her fists. "You are Eragon?" He nodded his head. "My name is Payton." She slid toward the edge of the bed. Eragon took her out to meet with Oromis and Orik. They explained to her what was happening in the land of Alagaesia. "I will help you then!" She proclaimed firmly.

"Come again?" Orik doubted her abilities.

"Well, at home I did gymnastics and I was one of the top runners on my track team. I don't know how useful I can be but I'm sure I can help in some way or another, even if it is just delivering messages. I'm a quick learner as well!"

"Gymnastics?" None of them quite understood what she meant but only Eragon was brave enough to admit his ignorance. "Come, I'll show you!" She exited the front door only to scream in fright of Saphira and Glaedr. She forced her way back inside tripping over Orik only to lose her balance and cause Eragon to fall over too.

_And this girl thinks that she can be useful?_ Glaedr questioned her abilities while Saphira only laughed at the mishap.

"They're only dragons…" Eragon looked at her dumbfounded.

"Well it's one thing to explain it to me and an entirely different thing to witness them!" She stood up and stormed outside. Orik huffed and brushed himself off. Payton stood in the center of the clearing and performed an intricate series of back and front flips.

"Eragon. I suggest you learn this as well as the Rimgar." Oromis commanded and walked back inside the house.

_You really think she can be useful?_ Glaedr watched with uncertainty.

_It's better than nothing._ Oromis anxiously and nervously awaited Islanzadi's reply.

Author Note: As usual, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review


	4. Chapter Three

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Three

It was not long before Arya arrived with her mother's word. "She wishes to meet with her to decide for herself whether she is a threat or not. It may involve having her mind checked." Arya had brought with her a horse from the stables so that Payton could keep up with them. Eragon quickly taught her the words designated for 'stop' and 'go'.

"Will you be joining us?" Oromis stood firmly in front of his hut.

"No, I see no need for me to be there. You may take Eragon as a witness." Oromis waved them off as Eragon mounted Saphira and they departed. Payton watched the forest with awe and amusement as they encountered the animals that she had never seen before, as well as the magnificent tree houses. Eragon was quick to reply to every question she asked.

_She's as curious as you are._ Eragon smiled at Saphira's revelation.

_There's nothing wrong with that._ He replied jokingly. As soon as they made it into the heart of Ellesmera they went to Islanzadi without delay.

"Eragon, it may be best if you teach her the proper form of greeting so that this goes as smoothly as possible." Arya suggested.

"Right." Eragon tried to put it as simply to Payton as he could so that she would understand it to the fullest. She dismounted her horse and stood in front of the large dome-like building. As they walked through it her head darted from the left to the right as something new caught her eye every other second. As they reached the Queen's throne Payton bowed and they exchanged greetings. Despite Islanzadi's pleasant behavior she was quite harsh when speaking with Payton.

"And you claim to be from?" The queen held no patience for spies.

"California." Payton could feel herself becoming nervous under Islanzadi's gaze.

"Oh, and where is California located?"

"On the eastern coast of The United States ma'am." Islanzadi did not believe her story even one bit. With a wave of her hand she summoned forward one of her guards.

"Please search her mind for even the slightest bit of suspicious information." Islanzadi eyed the queen.

_I've never seen her act this way before._ Eragon was scared for Payton.

_It's harsh but it is just as Oromis acted. They have done very well to keep themselves safe from Galbatorix._ Saphira understood Islanzadi's logic.

"My liege, her stories are all true." Islanzadi mulled it over in her head.

"So be it, you may stay in Ellesmera, but you must either be accompanied by Oromis, Arya, or Eragon at all times. You may leave." Payton sighed with relief while Islanzadi considered how Payton's appearance was even possible. Night had befallen Ellesmera long ago, but the extraordinary events of the day never would have been able to wait until morning.

"Well, I bid thee goodnight." Orik's fatigue was apparent.

"Goodnight Argetlam, Saphira, Payton." Arya bowed to each of them and made her way back inside to her quarters.

"I guess you can stay in my room tonight. I feel more comfortable sleeping underneath Saphira's wing anyway." Eragon began to find his way toward his tree.

_Is it safe to allow her to sleep near us? What if this has all been a trick up until now?_ Saphira was fond of Payton, but was still uneasy.

_I presume it's safe. If she tried anything, we would wake up._ Eragon had not felt the uneasiness around Payton as the others had.

"I'm sorry to cause you so much trouble," Payton interrupted the awkward silence. Although Eragon had been communicating with Saphira, Payton had only walked alongside awkwardly.

"Huh?" Eragon only just realized how uncomfortable the silence had been. "Oh it's not a problem, besides, you're going to teach me something new and I'm sure it will be useful." Eragon smiled weakly at her fatigue setting upon him as it had Orik. They made their way up Eragon's tree and Eragon showed her to the bed. "I'll be right over here incase you need me." Eragon lay down next to Saphira and she enclosed her wing on him. Payton stared up at the leafy ceiling.

_I guess this means that I really can't go home._ She felt a pang inside her heart. _Maybe one day. _She thought hopefully remembering all of her memories of her home as she fell asleep.

Author Note: Tada! I know it's short but I really wanted to get it out because I've been working on an AMV, which I am about to work on some more. I wasn't entirely sure if/what I would put in the rest of this chapter. So I figured I might as well get it out.

Please review!!


	5. Chapter Four

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Four

Author Note: Emmm. I want to thank the entire 5 people that reviewed, as stupid as it sounds. It means a lot to me. I would also like to thank the 42 people (minus the four that reviewed), for reading to the third chapter. Thank **you** as well, for making it to the fourth chapter. This shows to me either one or two of two things. A) My story is tolerable enough to read thus far. Or B) All of the chapters thus far have been too short to be intolerable. I do realize they have been short. I apologize for this, but I see a place where it would be nice to cut off and I cut it off. Without further delay, I present to you, my story which may either be tolerable or too short.

This morning was much like many of the other mornings Payton had endured. She had been living with Oromis ever since the queen had ordained that someone must always be in her presence. Eragon had continued his training and she had even learned quite a bit herself. Oromis found it best that she learn the ancient language since she was living with elves and she even picked up on a few things on her own. She practiced the Rimgar with Eragon and taught him everything she knew about gymnastics. She was given weighted knee-high leather boots to improve her abilities, so that if she ever needed to defend herself she could hold her own in some way. Swordsmanship and archery was also among her training, although she was lacking in those aspects.

Saphira was currently training with Glaedr and Eragon was sitting on his rock like he did everyday and for once Payton had some free time. As of late, any free time she got she devoted to exploring the forest around her, and upon hearing about the Agaeti Blodhren she knew she had to find something to bring. She found herself at her favorite place, a small waterfall that flowed into a lake creating small streams to run through the forest. She took her boots off and stuck her lower legs in the water. The water was bearable and she lay on her back to watch the clouds pass. _This sucks. There's nothing I can bring to the festival. Anything I could possibly think of they could conjure up easily with magic. _She sat up and glared at her reflection in the water. "Stupid magic," she grumbled.

Then she saw something glimmer beneath the water's surface. She lowered her body into the water and dove for it, her hands barely touching it before she was forced to resurface. She got out of the water and made her way up to the top of the waterfall. She grabbed her nose and jumped off feet first making herself as perpendicular to the water as possible. She felt her feet graze the bottom and tried to bend her body to pick it up, but she arose to the surface too quickly. She growled and exited the lake again., looking around for something, anything, which would help her. She grabbed her boots and put them on. She raced back up to the waterfall and jumped off again, this time grasping the glimmering object with her hands. She pushed her feet off of the bottom of the lake pushing the dirt from the lakebed to bubble up everywhere. She neared the surface, her hand barely grasping the edge of the land. She set the object atop of the land and pulled herself up heaving for breath, she smiled at what she had found. She turned the dragon scale over in her hand, one side dull and the other side a brilliant green, and when the light hit it just right it looked as if it had a silver sheen to it. _But what will one do?_ Her expression faltered. She'd need at least 15 scales to make anything worthwhile. And it was certainly too dangerous to attempt 14 more times, and that was only a minimum, with no guarantee that she would resurface with more, or that there were more down there. She churned every possible idea over in head. _I can't bring nothing to the Agaeti Blodhren!! _She peered into the lake watching the dirt resettle to the bottom, but this time there was an entire horde of dragon scales. _If I can grab at least 3 at a time that would only be_, she quickly did the math in her head, _about 5 trips, but assuming that on some occasions I should get more than three, less than three, or none at all, my maximum amount of trips should be about 6 or 7._ She grimaced at the idea of doing that 7 times. _I'll just have to get a minimum of three every time._ She slammed her fist into her hand with a determined look on her face.

She took a deep breath as she stood over the waterfall. _It's all or nothing._ She took a deep breath, plugged her nose, and jumped. She plummeted toward the lake bottom, determined to grab as many as she could. She scooped up two handfuls feeling a mixture of dirt and scales in her arms. She bent her knees thrusting herself toward the surface. She opened her eyes to see that she hadn't quite made it. Feeling that her baggage in her left arm was heavier than that in her right arm, she released the objects in her left arm and kicked her feet as hard as she could. Grasping the land she hoisted herself up. _I don't care how many dragon scales I can get, I'd rather bring nothing to the Agaeti Blodhren than be dead. _She lay on the ground, not bothering to look at her 'treasures,' if she could even consider them that much anymore. When she finally had enough breath so that she didn't feel like she was dieing, she sat up to find that her clothes were covered in dirt and that she had only grabbed three scales as well as a some kind of stone. The stone was a deep emerald green speckled with silver.

_This will be perfect for the Agaeti Blodhren. _She smiled with confidence, she had the perfect idea in mind.

Author Note: Okay, hmmm for starters, I **really** enjoyed writing this chapter. If you have any comments on how you think this chapter compares to any of the others I would really like to hear them. I'm fairly proud of this chapter. If I made any mistakes please feel free to point them out. I've been trying to make this as accurate with the book as possible, but I lent my Eldest book to my brother to read and this is the first chapter that I have written without it. Anywho, please review I hope you enjoyed it!


	6. Chapter Five

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Five

Payton hurriedly cleaned the dirt off of her clothes, and then began to clean the scales and her stone off. Noticing that little daylight was left she hid her project in the nearby shrubs and ran off to Oromis' hut. He eyed her wearily as her clothes were still damp.

"Enjoyed your free time?" Oromis turned away working with some liquids.

"Yes," she bowed respectfully, "I figured out what I will bring to Argaeti Blodhren." She was extremely proud of her idea. "Has Eragon already left?" She saw no sign of Saphira or Eragon." Payton had grown quite fond of Eragon, even though she knew he did not return her feelings.

"No, they have already gone," Oromis dismissed the subject without much discussion.

"Okay, I suppose this is goodnight then," Payton smiled to Oromis, her project for the Argaeti Blodhren celebration on her mind.

_She appears exceptionally happy today._ Glaedr peered through one of the windows.

_Even so, she's a generally happy child._ Oromis sometimes became distraught with her perkiness. Glaedr chuckled at Oromis.

Payton woke up extra early the next morning to go practice her archery as well as her swordsmanship. The training ground was the one place Payton was allowed to go unaccompanied simply for the fact that there were so many elves there anyway and Eragon was normally there in the morning. Payton treasured the elven bow given to her by Oromis; her sword not so much, simply for the fact that she was more skilled with the bow than she had and probably would ever be with the sword. When she arrived the few elves that were there watched her suspiciously, but she had grown used to their awkward glances. She understood the queen's initial suspicion of her simply for her desire to protect her race, but Payton had been there for quite some time now, never done anything slightly suspicious and assisted Oromis and Eragon in every way possible. She shook it off and practiced her archery.

After using all of her arrows she retrieved them and looked around. Within an hour and a half the number of elves on the training ground had grown exponentially. Despite the many possible sparing partners she decided to leave the ground early. Few elves would fight with her, partially due to Islanzadi's suspicion of her, and the other reason was her lack of skill with the sword. The few that would spar her, only ever did it because they took pity upon her or simply to taunt and make a mockery of her.

After leaving the training ground she went straight for Oromis' hut, "Master Oromis!" She shouted wandering from room to room.

"Quiet child," she found him sitting in the back room. "Eragon is not done with his training?" Oromis noticed that she had arrived early.

"Not quite yet, I was hoping that I could maybe take a break early today so that I could work on my gift."

"Where will you be working on this?" Although Oromis trusted Payton, he knew Islanzadi would not approve if he gave her too much freedom.

"Just over by the little waterfall." Payton knew she had nothing to hide, but still wanted her gift to be a surprise.

"That is fine, don't be gone too long. You and Eragon will be working on your Rimgar and gymnastics today, and after that we will work on the ancient language."

"Thank you!" Payton ran off toward the hidden location of her project. She brought out the four scales and the stone to find that only two of the scales matched in color. She had managed to grab one that had matched the original one that she found, she had also found one that was a deep red color, and the final one was a lighter green than the other two and had a cyan hue to it. Payton sat cross legged with her materials spread out in front of her. _If I could get a stick I could make it into a sort of flower with leaves coming off of it._ She had no idea where she could possibly get a stick that would compliment the beauty of the scales. _I might need more than four scales for that though, and I don't see myself going back down there just for this. I'll just have to make due with what I have. _She arranged and rearranged her materials, she had plenty of ideas in her head, but she wanted it to be so absolutely perfect that Islanzadi would have no choice but to trust her. Looking at the sun Payton realized that Eragon would be there soon and she would be needed. She stashed her project but into a different bush this time so that it could not be found. She ran back to see Saphira and Glaedr flying off. "I'm here," Payton waved as she entered the clearing.

"Has your scar bothered you much today?" Oromis questioned Eragon.

"Only twice," it was obvious that Eragon was suffering but dared not say anything because he knew he needed the training. They practiced the Rimgar with ease, upon which Oromis suggested that they advance to the next level of Rimgar tomorrow. Oromis had set the training between Eragon and Payton so that they would be best prepared in a battle in which both of them were fighting. Payton knew of Oromis' intent and never once questioned it or doubted it. She was content fighting alongside Eragon, since she had nowhere else to go, she felt that her life was best used benefiting the world. Oromis had given them many ideas of ways to fight alongside one another and Payton had also remembered some 'fighting' moves that she had seen in Japanese films.

They practiced one combination in which Payton jumped up as Eragon kneeled down putting his hands above his head, where Payton would place her feet and each would push off one another; this maneuver would hopefully send Payton safely over her enemies and into a position from where they could turn the tide of the battle. Unfortunately, they had not perfected this technique and had managed to turn it into a horrendous sight every time they attempted it.

The failing factor in this attempt was Eragon's scar. As soon as they contacted one another Eragon's scar had begun to tear into his entire body sending a wave of pain all over him. Despite the lack of force Payton had managed to flip herself over, but it was too late, she flipped at an angle planning to cover a larger distance, but gravity caught her body causing her to spin. Once she neared the ground she drew her sword slamming it into the earth hoping it would slow down her momentum just a bit. Just seconds after her sword made contact the balls of her feet made contact sliding backward across the ground forcing her knees to slam down and she let out a morbid scream. She lay on the ground knowing that somehow here bones weren't in the right position. Oromis rushed over to Payton knowing that Eragon would survive just fine. She cringed as he rolled her body over to see that the impact on her ankles had caused her knee caps to shift and dislocate from the bone in her lower leg.

"Weise heill," Oromis muttered. Her knees immediately shifted back in place causing Payton to release another shrill scream. "You'll be fine, I don't suggest you do any sort of movement for the rest of the day, but tomorrow you'll be capable of doing whatever you want." Payton was not at all reassured by his words. She wiped the tears and dirt from her face. Oromis walked over to Eragon next.

"I'm fine." Eragon stood up stiffly; he hated his scar with such a passion. He felt as though his only importance were to stand as a symbol of hope, but to do nothing more than that. "I'm sorry," He walked over to Payton who had not decided upon relocating.

"I'll be fine." She reassured him sitting up and doing her best not to wince at the pain. "Let's just work on the ancient language." Payton suggested; she attempted to stand up only to falter.

"Let me help you." Eragon could not help but feel like that would have gone well if not for him. He put her arm around his shoulder but found that she could not even stand slightly on her legs.

"Sorry," Payton blushed.

"It's alright." Eragon cradled her in his arms. Payton knew that Eragon felt nothing for her which only made this position for her. Under most circumstances she would have been elated, but she felt as though she were only a hindrance that he was forced to deal with.

Author Note: Tada! It's not much, but there it is. I hope you enjoyed it Thank you to everyone who has reviewed thus far! And thank you to those who are going to review

Another thing, I recently discovered what a 'Mary Sue' was. This surprises and yet bothers me at the same time. I cannot help but feel like I have done something terrible to humanity with some of the other stories that I have created. I have done my best to make Payton to be _nothing_ like a Mary Sue. If you should find that you disagree with something or things that I have done, do share. I really do appreciate any and all input that I receive. I do realize that thus far Eragon has been quite a flat character, but I'm hoping he can become more rounded out as the story progresses. Thank you!!


	7. Chapter Six

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Six

Author Note: As usual, thank you thank you for all of the reviews and I hope you enjoy it!

Payton hobbled through Oromis' hut the next day, her knee still bothering her. Payton had never endured more than a sprain in all of her life, so needless to say this was the most pain she had ever been in. Oromis had dismissed her from the normal amount of training that was required of her but had still 'suggested' that she practice her archery. Oromis had prepared a type of dye so that she could create her own target. She painted it on a tree as accurately as she could and hoisted herself into a small tree nearby. She climbed so that she was above her target and positioned herself so that she would be hidden by the branches. _If I'm going to be in real battles I won't always be directly in front of my target, I might be sniping from a distance, or even on a horse._ She poked her arrow out of the leaves aiming for the target. She released the arrow only to have the end of the arrow get caught in the leaves. She sighed glad that she had decided to practice this before entering into a real battle. She moved over to another branch that forked into three and placed her legs in between the branches. She knocked another arrow and aimed at the target again. This time the arrow made it through the branches and landed at the edge of the target. _Well, it's an improvement._

She had a feeling that she would be in the tree for quite some time and she had plenty of arrows as well. She spent an entire day making arrows, not only because she had never made one before in her life, but also because she had planned on breaking and losing quite a few in the process of actually learning how to handle a bow. She made it a game with herself to practice aiming at the outermost circle until it was a circle of arrows and then continued onto the next circle. She only got to the third innermost circle when she saw Eragon arrive with Saphira. It was fairly obvious to Payton that he was entirely oblivious to her position in the tree. _He really does need to learn to pay attention to his surroundings._ Payton fired an arrow as Eragon stepped over to examine the target. The arrow whisked by his face and he looked into the tree.

"That isn't safe!" He walked over to the tree and looked up into it.

"Of course it is. I'm a pro now."

"Pro?" He didn't quite get it.

"Emm, like an expert. Professional." She often forgot that some of the words she used weren't used here. "Oromis is waiting for you inside." She hinted to him, firing another arrow.

"Thanks," Eragon and Saphira went over to his hut. Payton continued her target practice until only the bull's eye was left. She shot the final arrow making it perfectly in the center. She clambered down the tree as Oromis and Eragon left the hut. Saphira had gone off with Glaedr long ago, and Oromis and Eragon were working with magic. She saw Oromis held several templates in his hands, the ones he had been working on the night before. Rather than retrieving her arrows, Payton sat on a low branch listening to Oromis explain Fairth's to Eragon. Eragon attempted his first one, but it was not entirely successful.

Payton lowered herself down from the tree and went over to retrieve her arrows, as she reached the target she saw Arya and Orik arrive. She could only overhear bits and pieces of their conversation. She retrieved her arrows and walked back over to see that Arya was holding Eragon's second attempt, which was a beautiful portrait of her. Before Payton could examine the fine details of the Fairth Arya had thrown it down onto the ground, shattering it into a million pieces. Payton had begun to feel a growing pang inside of her. She felt bad, not only for herself, but also for Eragon because she could empathize with how he felt.

"Master Oromis, may I please go work on my gift for the Argaeti Blodhren?" Payton wanted to get away from there as fast as possible. Oromis dismissed her with a nod and she was off. Payton did not understand Arya's response to the Fairth but then again there were a lot of things in this world that she didn't understand. She made her way to her small haven and shifted through the bushes to find her project. She saw the scales shimmering in the brush. She grabbed all of the scales and counted to find that all four were indeed there, but looked again to find that her stone was broken. She picked up each of the pieces and frantically tried to piece them back together to ensure that they were all still there. She couldn't tell if they were all there or not, but she assumed that either way she'd have to think of a new gift to present to the elves. Her head jerked to the left as she heard rustling in the bushes. _The culprit_. She glared at the bushes as if it hid some kind of dark secret. Payton stood up quietly as she snuck over to the bush that had been the cause of the noise. Without thinking twice she dove onto the bush capturing the animal inside. _Please don't bite me._ She closed her eyes, but instead of feeling any sort of bite she felt a sudden pain that started at her hand and began surging through her entire body. Once the pain stopped she opened her eyes to find that a baby dragon was the 'culprit' and that the stone she had found was not a stone at all, but an egg. She looked at her right hand, where all of the pain had originated.

_I'm in so much trouble…_ She thought as she turned her hand over to see the gedway ignasia shining on her palm.

Author Note: And there it is. Please review


	8. Chapter Seven

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Seven

Author Note:

Payton stared at the dragon before her and quickly replaced the bush as it had been before she disturbed it, she then ran back over to pile and picked up the pieces of the egg as well as the scales preparing to dump them back into the water. She held her arms over the water and the small dragon popped out of the bush.

_Hiding the evidence obviously won't work and it will destroy my gift to the elves. I'm just going to have to find a way around this._ Payton shoved her project back into the bush where she had it hidden and picked up the baby dragon. Carrying it in her arms she snuck around careful to avoid any elves that may have wandered off. _I have to find somewhere far away enough to hide the dragon, but at the same time close enough so that I can keep track of him. _Payton found a cave that was a little closer than she would have liked, but she was in no position to be picky. She set the dragon down and stared at him, in the ancient language she spoke, "You're going to have to stay here." In response the dragon snapped at her finger. "You're hungry??" Payton looked around as if she expected a full course meal to appear for the dragon. _I'm going to have to hunt._ She realized wide-eyed. "Stay here, I'll find you something."

She removed her bow and knocked an arrow, she stealthily snuck around in search of something she thought a baby dragon would eat. _Nothing too big and nothing too small, I have to be able to carry it and at the same time the dragon will have to be able to finish eating it._ A rabbit… Payton felt terrible. _It's so cute and furry._ She aimed her bow and closed her eyes. Releasing the arrow she felt a thud. _I killed a bunny…_ She hated the thought of having killed a rabbit, let alone seeing a dead one. She picked the rabbit up by the arrow and held it in front of her as she walked back to the cave. She found the little dragon waiting her arrival at the cave entrance. Payton walked inside and set the rabbit down on the floor in front of the dragon, but it only looked at her as if it were waiting for something. "You want me… to skin it?"

She paused for a moment before composing herself. _No. I'm going to be fighting in a war, I can't be like this. I have to get used to this kind of stuff._ She took a deep breath and brought a hunting knife out of her belt. She skinned the rabbit, although not with expertise and cut it into slivers handing it to the little dragon each time she got one free. She took the rabbit fur in her hands and figured that if it had to die then she should at least use all of it that she could. "Follow me." Payton got up and carried the rabbit fur to a small creek that ran nearby. The baby dragon chirping happily as it followed in her footsteps. She sat down at the edge of the creek and took a good look at the dragon. Just like the egg it was a brilliant emerald green, and like the scales she had found it had a silver shimmer to it when the light hit it just right. "Were those your parents' scales?" She set the fur down and picked up the dragon." It fluttered its thin wings and stared up at her chirping. "But you are apparently too happy to care." She kissed it on what she assumed would be a dragon forehead and set it down. "I have to clean this." She spoke as if it were really listening to her. "This might be your bed soon. So you better appreciate it." She rinsed it off and made her way along the path to the cave. She made sure to watch for things that would possibly benefit the baby dragon in some way, collecting the largest leaves she found. "This will be your bed. So you better actually use it." She didn't think it even understood her, but just on the off chance that it could, she had to try. Looking at the sky Payton figured that she ought to be getting back to Oromis soon, and she wasn't sure what time she would be able to return tomorrow. "Stay here, I'm going to find you some reserve food incase you get hungry."

She took her bow back out and went in search of more rabbits, although something larger would be preferable. Walking through the forest she spotted a fox-like animal trotting by. _This will have to do. _She followed it quietly, waiting for an appropriate time to strike. Just as it turned to look at her she released her arrow, but it was too late for the little fox. "I'm sorry." Payton whispered and bowed to the little fox just before picking it up and taking it back to the cave. She skinned the fox as quickly as she could and set out pieces for the dragon incase it got hungry before she could return. The entire time, the only thing she could think about was what she would do about her gift for the elves now. "As cute as you are," she paused to eye the dragon, "you're a pain in my ass. I will somehow eventually have to explain this to Oromis. Which is only going to cause more suspicion from me, and I'm going to have to continue my training as it is now, as well as taking care of you. This is going to involve me lying, which means I'll probably get in trouble." She rambled on as she finished cutting up the fox. She didn't bother to wash his fur and simply set it under the rabbit fur. "Please behave," she pleaded, "don't go too far, actually, don't go anywhere." She rephrased her command, kissing him on the forehead she left the cave and rushed to Oromis' hut.

"I take it your gift is going well?" Oromis sat at a table that was placed into the room through which she entered.

"Yes, I think Islanzadi will love it." She smiled, praying that Oromis would believe her.

"That is good; from now on could you please work on it here though? I do not want Islanzadi to become suspicious; it will only cause more grief." She nodded her head.

"Sure, I can do that." She removed her bow and quiver from her back and walked into the room that was designated as hers. _Fuck. That's it; I'll just have to tell him. There's no way I'll be able to keep it a secret any longer, unless I abandon the dragon and pray it can fend for itself._ Payton weighed the other non existent options and decided that confessing her finding to Oromis was her only choice. _I'll do it tomorrow then._ She prayed for some kind of miracle that would allow her to keep the baby secret even longer, although she doubted a miracle would occur overnight.

Author Note: Thank you thank you thank you to those who have reviewed. It really does mean a lot to me, I'm really glad people enjoy this story, seeing as how I really enjoy writing it. And knowing that others enjoy it makes it all that much easier to write! Any and all questions or comments are welcome. If you find that I have made a mistake, do share it. I'm trying to make it a very accurate story. But I don't always succeed. And as always please review!!!


	9. Chapter Eight

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Eight

Author Note: Zomg. Its chapter eight T At the request of Mew Katari. And. I hate Vanir. I could not remember his name and it took me a good 10 minutes to google it.

Payton jerked her eyes open to see Oromis standing over her. "You seem to have forgotten your training," he eyed her. "I assume your knees are better?"

"Uh, yeah," she sighed deeply, glad that training was the only thing he was concerned about. She opened her mouth slightly to speak, but Oromis was already gone. _Well, I can't say that I attempted._ She didn't mind that her attempt to speak with him had failed terribly. She stepped out of bed and pulling her P.E. uniform that she substituted for pajamas. It had only been by luck that she chose that day to bring them home to be washed. She got dressed and put her boots on. Touching her toes and then up to the sky she stretched and headed out of her room. "Oromis, do you have some gloves I could borrow maybe?"

"No," he was firm in his response, "you will need any calluses you get, you may not always have gloves on hand, and it will get in the way of your archery." She understood his reasoning, but was still disappointed nevertheless. Sighing she headed back to her room to grab her bow and arrows, as well as her sword, although she doubted she'd be using it. Oromis had not found her a replacement sword yet and it currently had a massive crack running horizontally due to her jabbing it into the ground. Oromis was not pleased by it, but she thought it better that the sword suffer than her.

Upon arriving at the training grounds she found her way to the archery range. She saw Eragon and Vanir fighting one another fervently, Eragon obviously suffering from his scar. She turned her concentration to the task in front of her. She knocked her arrow and shot it clear across the field and right into the bull's eye. _Score._ She smiled to herself, fairly confident that she was receiving odd stares from the elves around her. _Meh, fuck them._ She knocked another arrow and fired it, landing it right next to the other one.

"You're becoming fairly cocky human." Payton turned to her left to see a fairly 'young' looking elf with her arms crossed. Aside from her personality, Payton would consider her beautiful, but then doubted thoughts, when physical appearance could be altered at any whim, she wasn't sure if she could consider the elf beautiful.

"Not really, but I'd say I've improved from where I first started." Payton was in no mood to deal with this elf.

"Oh? Then test your skills against me. Your boyfriend Eragon can't do it. Maybe you can prove humans aren't all so weak."

"One, Eragon isn't my boyfriend," Payton smiled politely, "two, I think I'll pass. I've got archery practice to focus on." Payton's smile faded as she felt the elves blade against her throat.

"Draw your sword human." Payton calmly placed her bow back and drew her sword. _My sword isn't going to do anything in this sort of situation except kill me._ She quickly surveyed the land around her noticing that even Eragon and Vanir had stopped fighting. She was overjoyed that Orik and Arya were watching as well. _Oh yay, the world can watch me get my ass kicked._ Sarcasm was dripping through her mind. Payton and the elf watched each other as they walked toward the center of the field. Everyone had cleared a space in the center for them and watched eagerly.

"Won't you at least tell me your name?" Payton attempted to buy some time.

"Medinda, not that it will ever be important to you human." The elf smirked arrogantly.

_She can't do it._ Saphira knew Payton was lacking in sword fighting, as well as the condition of her sword.

_I know,_ Eragon was quite aware of Payton's strengths and weaknesses. _Let's just hope she has a plan to survive through this._

Payton and Medinda now faced each other, waiting for the other to make a move. She lunged at Payton who did her best to dodge the attack. Payton watched her sword as the crack expanded slightly. _It has two more hits at the most._ Payton knew she had to come up with a plan and quick. Medinda charged at her again and Payton ran straight at her, the elf had a surprised look on her face and faltered at the last minute. As soon as she saw Medinda falter, Payton ducked underneath her sword and swung hers backward slicing into the Medinda's side. _One shot left, and then my only chance will be my bow._ Payton did not have much faith her bow when it was close combat. Payton circled with Medinda and began to back up slowly.

"Running away so soon? Humans are pathetic." Medinda laughed and stepped toward Payton.

"Eragon!" Payton shouted as she threw her sword at Medinda who hesitated for only a second before running after Payton who had drawn her bow and ran toward Eragon. _Please, let this work._ Eragon saw her running at him and kneeled down placing his hands together. At the last second she knocked an arrow.

"Good luck." He muttered as she pushed off of his hands.

"Thank you!" She counted to two and released her arrow and landed in the tree above Eragon. Unable to see Medinda, Payton gave her no time to recover or to find her. Payton knocked another arrow and jumped onto another branch finding a hole in the leaves she shot at Medinda. Her initial arrow had barely scathed Medinda, but her second one landed dead center in Medinda's left arm. Before Payton could react Medinda had jumped into the tree with Payton. Catching her off guard, Medinda kicked Payton's feet out from underneath her and Payton plummeted to the ground. The last thing Payton remembered seeing was Medinda smirking at her from high above. _Bitch…_

_Wake up!_ Payton felt in a daze, as though she was still asleep, but she was hearing someone's voice. _Payton!_ It was Oromis' voice. _No,_ she thought, _not yet. I will in about an hour._ She tried to move her arms or her head, but it didn't work. _You will wake up. Now. _Payton felt a stinging in her mind and immediately sat up grabbing her temples.

"What was that for?" She growled until she realized where she was. She wasn't just in bed, and she wasn't in the training ground where she remembered being. She looked around to find herself in the Queen's throne room. Payton immediately apologized for her outburst. Islanzadi ignored Payton's apology and marched down from her thrown to the girl, Payton looked at her in terror. Without warning, Islanzadi grabbed Payton's hand and exposed the gedwey ignasia.

"And you mean to say she is not a spy of Galbatorix?" Islanzadi scowled at Oromis and then returned her gaze to Payton.

"I'm not! I just got it!" Payton yanked her hand back from the queen, who looked appalled at Payton's impudence.

"Oh? And with what egg? The one Galbatorix offered you in turn for your allegiance to him?"

"No," she paused frightened for once in her life, "I found one."

Author Note: Please review! It took me eight chapters to realize that my smilies don't work unles I edit them on here


	10. Chapter Nine

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Nine

"Yes," the queen found herself answering Payton's answer sardonically, "every able bodied person in this known world has been searching for dragon eggs, and yet have found none. But you, who came from another world and have never seen a dragon egg before, have managed to find one?"

"Yes, I know it sounds skeptical but it's true." Payton really had no means of proving that she wasn't lying, except, "then you can poke through my memory if you want. I won't stop you, I won't resist. If that is what it will take to prove that I'm innocent, then do it." Payton was firm in her words and knew that she had nothing to fear.

"In all my life," Islanzadi sat down, relaxing her muscles and placing her face in her hands. "I have never found one person to be such a threat to the elves existence. I say this, not only because of your mysterious background, but also because you are a rider. I know that you speak the truth. You speak so openly, and without fear, that there is no possible way you could be hiding anything." Islanzadi paused, thinking of how she should phrase her words. "You are also such a threat, not because of something you have done, but because of my actions. I want to ask your forgiveness." Payton got the most confused look on her face. "I have been stubborn and misjudged you. Due to my own ignorance, you have been treated with undeserved disrespect." Payton was uncertain of how to answer the queen's response.

"It is fine, I can understand why you held me with such harsh judgment, you were only doing what you thought to be best for your people." The queen nodded toward Payton and gave her a soft smile.

"I suggest you begin your training under Oromis then, there is no certain amount of time left, you must hurry." Payton smiled back and bowed.

"I will." She turned to leave with Oromis.

"One more thing," Islanzadi beckoned Payton to turn around."

"Yes?"

"Do bring your dragon in sometime." She smiled as Payton nodded and departed through the door.

"That was close." Payton sighed with relief as she and Oromis left the building.

"Close?" Oromis didn't quite understand her.

"I almost got in trouble!" Payton couldn't believe that he didn't get it.

"You've done nothing wrong, even if Islanzadi did not agree with you; she could not punish you in any way." Payton looked up toward the sky as she realized what Oromis meant.

"So, do I really get dragon rider training?" Payton grinned as she looked at Oromis through the corner of her eye.

"Yes, although you've already started some of it, so it won't take much to catch you up to Eragon, except for magic. That may take some time." Payton's expression faltered.

"Aww, that's my favorite part." They continued the rest of the way back to Oromis' hut in silence.

"I suggest you go get your dragon." Oromis paused and looked at Payton. "You did feed it right?" Payton looked appalled.

"I can't believe you would even ask me that! I'm not brain dead. Of course I fed him!"

"So, it's a he?"

"Eehhh," Payton looked down, "I guess." Payton looked off to the side avoiding Oromis' stare.

"Bring the dragon," Oromis walked inside his hut leaving Payton outside by herself. She wandered off down the trail to the lake where she found the egg at and then followed the semi path she had made to the cave. _I hope he's still there, all I need is to find a dead dragon. I'll only have had him for almost a day and already managed to kill him._ Payton quickened her pace. She found the cave with relative ease and entered. Her fears only came true as she saw blood smeared across the floor of the cave. She frantically entered farther only to release a sigh of relief. The blood came not from the dragon, but from its' victims. Payton saw that quite a few unwary birds had fallen prey to the baby dragon. He chirped at her happily as he made his way over to her.

"Trouble maker." Her brow furred at him but he only chirped happily in response. She scooped him into her arms and headed out of the cave. "It's time to go!" She noticed that he was slightly bigger than he had been the day before. _He's going to get huge!_ _Where am I supposed to put him if he gets so big? I don't have a house or a stable or even a box to live in!_ She had begun to worry but then thought of Eragon and Saphira. "I guess we'll just have to live in Ellesmera forever!" Payton didn't mind the thought of it. She arrived back at Oromis' hut to find him quizzing Eragon and Saphira on the ancient language. _That's what I get to look forward too._ She stuck her tongue out at the idea.

"Come out," Oromis knew she was standing there and planned on beginning her training immediately. "I'm testing Eragon and Saphira's knowledge of the ancient language. I suspect you know some of it by now." Eragon and Saphira had witnessed the discovery of Payton's gedwey ignasia but weren't sure what to think of it, even now. "Payton, do you know what Du Weldenvarden means?" Payton racked her brain and finally came up with the answer.

"The guarding forest." Oromis nodded in confirmation.

"And Helgrind?"

"The gates of death." Payton remembered these from one of Eragon's lessons that Oromis made her stay for.

"Correct. That will be all for today. Payton, I will give you some scrolls that I want you to look over tonight. Now that you are a rider, the ancient language will be even more imperative to you than before. But first, bring the dragon. We must identify if he is male or female. The dragon standing on Payton's arm jumped over to Oromis' arm without hesitation. "Male." Oromis allowed the dragon to jump back onto Payton's arm, much like a bird would.

"How can you tell?" She looked at the dragon from every angle and still could not tell.

"His eyes." Was all that Oromis said before entering his hut.

"You really found an egg." Eragon walked over and looked at the baby dragon with amusement.

"Yeah, although," Payton paused slightly embarrassed. "I didn't realize it was an egg until I saw him. I wasn't there when he hatched and I just thought someone had broken the stone I had found." Eragon just laughed reluctant to share his own stupidity with Payton. Saphira stepped closer to examine the baby dragon, but Glaedr only examined it from a distance. "He won't bite," Payton turned her head to look at Glaedr who only released a puff of smoke, reluctant to satisfy his curiosity.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Eragon watched the baby dragon jump at Saphira only to fall to the ground clumsily.

"Mmm, not really. I thought about a few names, but they seem more like dog names than dragon names." The baby dragon attempted to bully Saphira, but only made a fool of himself. Eragon and Saphira found that it was getting late and headed back to the place they were staying. Payton entered the hut to find a large stack of scrolls sitting on the table.

"This should keep you busy for a few days." Oromis told her nonchalantly.

"A few days?" Payton gathered the scrolls in her arms and the baby dragon followed her into her room where she set them down on her nightstand. She took one of the scrolls in her hand, unraveled it and began translating it as the little dragon busily explored the contents of the room. She was so tired by the time she finished the first scroll that she set it back on the nightstand and fell asleep; the little dragon had found a suitable bed long ago.


	11. Chapter Ten

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Ten

Author Note: Chapter Ten!!!!!!

_Up, up, up!_ Payton groaned, covering her head with the elven pillow, but the baby dragon persisted. It had already been three days but Payton had yet to find a name for the dragon, which had already grown to the size of a foul. He stood by her bedside and nudged her with his nose.

_It figures that Oromis would teach you only the things he wanted you to know._ The baby dragon didn't know very many words yet but Oromis had used this to the best of his ability. Payton grudgingly sat up and glared at the baby dragon. She changed and grabbed the final two scrolls that had been in her room. "I've finished." Payton yawned handing them to Oromis.

"And you've found no suitable names?" The collection of scrolls were actually individual stories of dragon riders.

"No, I didn't like any of them, and neither did he." Payton made her way into Oromis' library and found the book she was looking for.

"What is this?"

"A book, I read it in the scrolls. It's supposed to contain more information on dragons." Payton pulled it down and set it on the table. The little dragon jumped onto the table and peered down at the book as well. "You can't read." She nudged his head out of her way and began flipping through the chapters skimming each of the pages.

"Not all dragons must be named after other dragons." Oromis found Payton's behavior odd.

"And all of the names I have come up with haven't been good enough." Payton continued to shuffle through the book. "Jura?" Payton looked up at the dragon who only snorted in disgust. "Briam?" Oromis shook his head as yet another name was rejected.

"I'll be eating breakfast if you ever find a name." Oromis left the room.

"Ooh. Galzra?" Payton looked hopeful only to find it to be rejected along with the rest. "Vanilor?" Payton found this name to her liking, but held no hope. She flipped through the pages and found another one. "Ingothold!" She laughed at it but the little dragon nibbled at her hand.

_Vanilor._

_Vanilor?_ She hugged the not-so-little dragon. _Vanilor it is!_ Payton and Vanilor waltzed out of the room; Payton had a smirk on her face. Oromis looked over at her with a cocked eyebrow. Payton grabbed a couple of fruits and sat down across from Oromis attempting to contain her grin.

"And?" Oromis knew she was bursting to say it.

"Vanilor." Oromis nodded.

"Little is known about him, only his name."

"Then we'll just have to make our own story." Payton tossed a piece of fruit down to him.

"Do you still have your stone?" Payton's smile faded.

"Yes, unfortunately." She pulled the stone out of her pocket.

"And?"

"No, I still can't lift it." Vanilor nudged Payton's hand as if he wanted to help.

"Then that will be your training for today." Oromis finished his fruit.

"But I've been doing this every day! And it isn't accomplishing anything!"

"You have to learn to use magic, starting with the basics. Once you can accomplish that I can teach you more. Until then, all that you can do is learn the ancient language and learn to harness the abilities within your mind." Payton left the hut to find somewhere with peace and quiet. She found herself at the small lake where she found Vanilor's egg. Sitting cross-legged with her back to the lake, she stared at the little stone.

"Stenr Reisa!" She glared at the stone, but nothing happened. Vanilor had begun to wander around the clearing, as if searching for food. Despite the fact that he was still considered to be a 'small' dragon, he was already hunting for his own food, one thing that Payton didn't mind. "Stenr Reisa!!" Payton nearly shouted and the stone twitched just a little bit. Payton gasped in surprise and joy. Smiling smugly she tried to force her concentration on the stone, but it took her a few tries before she could even shake it again. _It's not quite rising, but it's better than nothing_. She knew Vanilor didn't care, but she did her best to speak to him all the time, not only in the ancient language but also in hers. She sighed falling onto her back. Payton returned the stone to her pocket and stood up. She stretched her arms up high and then returned them down to her toes, Vanilor eyeing her. _It's been forever since I've practiced my gymnastics!_ Payton had been so busy learning about dragons and all of the information she needed to be a rider that she hadn't been to the training ground since her gedwey ignasia was exposed. She stood away from a tree then suddenly ran at it. She ran up it, but as soon as she was at her peak she twisted her legs so that when she landed she was facing the opposite way.

_Show off._ Vanilor repeated the phrase of which she had called him on many occasions when he attempted to strut, which only occurred when Saphira was present.

"I will have you know any of the moves that I attempt can and will be useful in battle. You'll be groveling at my feet when I save your hide from a band of Urgals!" Payton picked up a stick as she 'fought' an invisible horde of Urgals. Vanilor snorted at her battle. Payton hmph'ed and sat down cross-legged pulling the stone back out. "You're ruining my concentration." She teased Vanilor and began concentrating on the stone. "Stenr Reisa." Unlike all of her other failed attempts, the stone began to rise only to fall when she gasped in astonishment. "Oops." She returned her concentration to the stone and managed to do it again. "Let's go to Oromis!" Payton was determined to continue onto the next step. They left the clearing and soon found Oromis assisting Eragon with some spells. Eragon completed the task successfully and Oromis looked over at her.

"And?"

"I did it." She raised her chin proudly.

"For how long?" Oromis obviously wasn't satisfied.

"Ummm, two seconds?" Payton's head dropped.

"I want you to continue practice until you can hold the stone for thirty seconds. You won't be able to complete any other spells if you can only hold the stone for two seconds." Oromis waved her over to sit by the hut so that she would not distract Eragon from his training. Payton sat by the house and continued her attempts to raise the stone. Night was just about to fall when Payton, Eragon, and Oromis had noticed something in the woods nearby. Medinda stepped out of the dark and bowed to both Eragon and Oromis.

"Osthato Chetowa, I have come to speak with Payton." Oromis directed her toward the hut. Medinda walked over to Payton, carrying something that was wrapped in leather. "Argetlam, I have brought this for you." Medinda kneeled down and bowed her head. "I understand now that I have mistreated you and I can only hope that your view of elves was not tarnished by my inferiority. Please accept this, your sword broke in a battle against me and I feel that it would only be right for me to replace your sword." She held out the long parcel and Payton took it and removed the leather. Inside was a sheath, with a sword that was a majestic silver color, the handle was decorated with gold and green inlays.

"Thank you." Payton was unsure of what else to say. "Please stand up; I see no need to look down upon you as if I am greater. I only wish to help all of Alagaesia as we stand up against Galbatorix." Medinda nodded and smiled at Payton.

"Thank you. I am putting my faith in you." Medinda left the three riders and headed back into the heart of Ellesmera.

"You are gaining respect from all," Oromis walked toward her. "All of their hopes, dreams, and fears, as well as mine, are resting upon the two of you. Please, do not let them down. That will be all today. There will be scrolls awaiting both of you on the table." Oromis made his way into his hut. Payton stood up and held her sword all the way out examining its' beauty. Saphira and Glaedr soon returned, which prompted Vanilor to hold his head up high and strut around.

"You have named him Vanilor?" Eragon had heard from Oromis, but wanted to make conversation.

"Yes, Oromis mentioned that not much was known about Vanilor, but I think it's a nice name, and he agrees." Payton and Eragon looked over toward Vanilor who was acting tough to Glaedr.

_You still have much to learn._ With one smooth flap of his wings Glaedr took off high above the clouds.

_Let us go little one. It is getting late._ Saphira projected her voice to even Payton, who waved good-bye and headed inside. Vanir followed her as she picked up her stack of scrolls and headed off to her bedroom to finish up her training for the day.

_Everyone's hopes and fears? _She rolled onto her stomach to watch Vanilor. _Do you think we can do it?_ She pet him on the head and changed into her pajamas. _Maybe not alone, but I'm sure Eragon can do it. And we'll just have to do our best to help him._


	12. Chapter Eleven

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Eleven

Author Note: Sorry it has taken me a bit longer to update this one. I had work Friday night. Which was hell. I'm going to refrain from ranting about it. And it is now Saturday morning in which I will be at work within an hour and a half. So I'm going to do my best to get this chapter out before I go. It might not have much content though, I know where I want to go with this story, but I have to go through certain events before I can be where I want. My brother still hasn't returned my book, so this may not be as accurate as I'd like. A note on how Oromis' deciphered the dragon's sex, I made that up. I needed some way to confirm that it was indeed a boy and that sounded like a good idea. Sorry if that confused anyone. And here it goes.

Payton woke up much like she had every morning, an alarm, much like the one Oromis had given Eragon. Oromis had given her a strict regimen that included sparring and archery in the morning, which would be followed by her sitting alone in a clearing, as Eragon had always done, except she felt that she was a bit faster to pick up on it than he had been. During the time that she was concentrating, Eragon would work on his magic with Oromis and then they would switch places. Although Payton could not use magic at first, the effects the no longer little dragon had begun to take place on her body and mind. She felt swifter in her sword fighting, as well as more competent in all aspects of her training. Already having studied the ancient language, her magic training was more so teaching her about magic and how to use it in the most effective way than teaching her spells, although she still attended those lessons with Eragon.

Vanilor had not yet matured enough to train with Glaedr and Saphira, but many of the days he would accompany them and take notice of what he would have to learn in the near future. Vanilor was still quite small in comparison to both Saphira and Glaedr, but Eragon had noticed that male dragons mature more quickly and it would only take but three or four months for Vanilor to catch up to Saphira in size.

Time crept by, but before Payton had realized it, the Agaeti Blodhren celebration was only four days away. Payton had begun to panic due to the fact that she had not even worked on her gift to the elves' since Vanilor had hatched and even though she knew what she wanted to do, doing it was a more difficult task.

_You have decided what you will be making?_ Payton opened the window so Vanilor could peer inside. _I've always known what I would make, then you ruined it, and then I came up with a different idea, and now I just have to do it and hope it turns out okay._ Vanilor watched Payton working fervently on the egg he had hatched from. She spread the pieces of the egg on the floor in front of her and muttered, "gath!" All of the egg pieces on the floor gathered themselves together to form the whole egg; Payton reached out and grabbed it. _You're going to give them my egg?_ Vanilor doubted how much the elves' would appreciate a gift like that. _No, I'm going to carve it, so that it looks like a rose. It is going to be blossoming, and the scales will form the outer leaves._ Payton looked at it from all angles; it looks exactly alike all around. She found that it was the same size all the way around as well. She uttered words from the ancient language, that she hoped would carve into the stone, but it was obvious that it would not work. _It isn't going to work! _Payton groaned in frustration. _I'll just have to resort to idea number two!_ Payton set the egg and the scales down on her bed and left the room. _Where are you going? _Vanilor was frustrated that he could not follow her everywhere she went. _I have to find Oromis. I have to find out how to construct the template for a fairth, as well as make one, and all within three days. _She found him in his library.

"Yes?" He didn't bother to look up from his book.

"Master Oromis, would you please teach me how to make a template for a fairth, and how to make one."

"What is this for?"

"The Agaeti Blodhren celebration." He eyed her warily.

"We do not normally accept things of magic, but seeing as how you are willing to make the template yourself, and you have many interesting things that you would be capable of showing us, I will oblige." He sat up from his seat. "We will have to start tonight, for we do not have much time and your first template will most likely not turn out right. Oromis walked through his house, gathering materials and handing them to Payton, as well as carrying some of them. "Let us do this outside," He grabbed several lanterns and hung them outside; Vanilor quickly came around the back of the house to watch them intently.

Step by step, Oromis showed her how to combine all of the ingredients to make a proper template. "Is there any way to create a block in a fairth, so that I could put two images on one template?"

"Yes, before laying down any of the ingredients, you put a border piece wherever you want it and then you will have to create the two sides of the fairth together. Let us continue to make more so that you will have practice and the first will be dry." Oromis tested Payton on the correct way to create the template, Vanilor occasionally helping Payton with what she couldn't recall. She created her second template, this time with the divider in the middle. "Now, try to create an image on the first template." Payton picked it up and looked around. "You may want to consider something that is still for your first attempt." Payton set her focus on the lantern. She felt the template warm within her hands as the image appeared on it. Payton took a deep sigh and looked down to view it. Oromis stood over her shoulder, "when the ingredients are not mixed properly in the fairth, it creates lines." The image of the lantern was swirled as if it had been painted rather than conjured and somebody had stuck their finger in the wet paint and drug it along the canvas. "Now try again with the template I made." Payton concentrated on the lantern, recreating the image into a fairth. She looked down at it.

"So I just need to work on creating the template and I will be able to do it?" The image of the lantern was flawless in comparison with the real lantern; she even managed to get the details of the wooden wall behind it.

"Ideally, yes," Oromis paused, "but if you will be recreating an image of something that is not in front of you, it may not turn out as well." Oromis stood up and picked up his template. "Let us continue this some other time, it is late." Payton followed him gather her template and fairths following him inside.

"Thank you master Oromis." She set her templates down inside and brought her fairths with her.

"There is no need to thank me, I am doing this for you as much as I am for myself, I am curious as to what you will create." He gave a small smile and disappeared into his room.

_He has high expectations of you._ Vanilor had returned to his place outside of her window. _Oh goody, now watch it won't work and I'll just be doomed to disappoint everyone._ She changed into her pajamas and sat on her bed, examining her fairths. _You did well._ She set them down by her backpack and lay down. _I guess. I just hope I can create what I have in mind. Otherwise I might just not be making any appearance at the Agaeti Blodhren. _She drifted into sleep, Vanilor curling up and falling quickly asleep.

Payton sat up in bed and turned the little device off, winding it up again so that it would unfortunately wake her again the next day. She went to the training ground to find Eragon and Saphira already there.

"How is your gift for the Agaeti Blodhren going?" Eragon sat down to rest a bit with Payton.

"Well, the original idea I had in mind wasn't working, so I had to request Oromis' help with it, so he helped me a bit last night, so now it's just up to me to finish it." She told him as much as she could without giving away her idea, wanting it to be a surprise. "What about yours?" Eragon blushed a bit.

"I actually haven't started it yet, I couldn't think of what to do, all of the elves' can do what I can do and could probably do it ten times better."

"I hate to damper your mood even more, but it's probably true, they have hundreds of years of experience on both of us." Payton laughed.

"Does Vanilor know what he is going to do?" Payton paused and looked at him.

"What?" she was in disbelief. "He is supposed to have a gift as well?" Eragon nodded laughing. "Nobody told us that!" Payton jumped up and ran over to Vanir who was conversing with Saphira as well as being gawked at by the elves. _We have to go! You are supposed to have a gift for the blood oath festival too!_ Vanilor quickly said his good-byes as Payton mounted him and took off for Oromis' hut. _What am I supposed to do? I don't have any special abilities and I'm not exactly a skilled when it comes to creating things. _Vanilor landed at their destination. _I don't know we'll have to figure something out._ Payton jumped off and sat down to begin thinking. _May I use my egg? _Vanilor appeared confident. _Of course you can, it's your egg._ Payton crawled through the window to find Oromis standing in her room.

"Hi," she smiled weakly.

"And?"

"Well, I was talking with Eragon, and nobody told us that Vanilor had to have a gift too! So, we rushed back here to figure something out." Oromis shook his head and left, Payton often had this attitude about life, something Oromis didn't mind most of the time. He had grown fond of the way Payton went about everything with a generally positive attitude. Payton grabbed the egg out from her nightstand and handed it out to Vanilor who had begun to carve into it with his claw.

Author Note: I hope you liked it! And now I have to go. Time for work.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Twelve

Author Note: Thank you to everyone who has read thus far and especially to those who have reviewed! It means a lot to me! For the first chapter, the design of the dragon, I couldn't find it, I know I've seen it before somewhere associated with Eragon but it's just a stick figure dragon type thing. I finally got my Eragon book back; to find it in a not so good shape. Siblings are terrible people, never trust them. I will be changing the timeline of the Agaeti Blodhren festival a little bit, but only enough to fit my story, and probably not enough for anyone to even notice.

Payton took the egg from Vanilor after he finished carving into it. _It's amazing!_ Payton looked at the egg to see that it had a symbol representing a dragon on it. _It's perfect; the elves will love your gift!_ Payton hugged Vanilor. _Thank you, but I don't believe it's finished, although I may need your help with the rest, I am not quite capable of constructing small things._ Payton crawled back through the window and gathered the dragon scales. _We'll have to ask Oromis for some sort of glue though; I don't know how to combine objects with magic yet. _Vanilor snorted and Payton disappeared back into the hut, she returned within four minutes with a small vial containing what looked like sap. _Oromis said we would only need a little bit of this, so we have to be careful._ She took the dragon scales and set them around the egg, _is this how you want it?_ Vanilor looked at the design from all angles. _That is good, but don't cover the design with the scales and I suggest you be careful with the glue, it is not a we project for you are handling it. _Payton stuck her tongue out at him and tipped the vial upside down, the liquid fell onto the edge of the scale and Payton quickly rubbed the scale against the bottom of the egg. She carefully compiled the rest of the scales around it until the surrounded the bottom of the egg and curved upward slightly, accenting the egg as well as the design on the front. _It's perfect._ Payton smiled at Vanilor. _Thank you for your help as well._

Payton returned Oromis' glue back to him who promptly suggested that she work on her gift until Eragon returned so that they could continue their training. She gathered all of the needed materials and sat outside with Vanilor who watched as she mixed all of them and occasionally corrected her before she made any mistakes. She had two templates from the previous night, the one she had made and the one Oromis' had constructed with her. She searched her memories for the perfect image. _It has to be important, but understandable with just one picture and I want it to be perfect for the elves, something that they will appreciate and enjoy. Payton thought back to what happened as she was summoned here. I had just left school but I saw something by the oak tree and I picked it up. _Payton couldn't really remember much after that except feeling as if she had been jerked upward and feeling nauseated until she became unconscious. As she thought about it more, Payton realized that the stone that she found by the tree was identical to Vanilor's egg. _That will be perfect!_ Payton sat in front of the tablet and cleared her thoughts and brought forth the memory of her grabbing the stone from under the tree. She opened her eyes to find that the fairth was not as clear and precise as she had hoped. A white mist had covered the entire scene and the stone was more so a dark blob than anything else. She moved the tablet over so that the other half of it was directly in front of her. _What will you put on this side?_ Vanilor was curious mainly because the last memory was one in which he had no knowledge of. _I'm going to put the next incident that involved your egg on it, sort of like a there and here theme. _She thought back to when she jumped in the waterfall, she couldn't possibly put an image of when she was in the water grabbing the egg, simply for the fact that she had her eyes closed and it would sort of be like lying if she displayed an image that wasn't from her memory. She decided upon the image of when she washed the egg off in the lake. She closed her eyes, said the enchantment and opened them again, to find that this image was much clearer than the previous one. She was also excited to find that her tablet only had but a few flaws in it and that she was sure she mixed the materials well this time. The egg was perfect in the fairth and she only hoped that she could do it again. She moved onto the tablet Oromis had made and concentrated on her memory of home. This time, the mist was still present although it had faded slightly; the egg was no longer a blob and Payton's features could be seen more. She had good prospects for her gift. She created another template, but before she could practice the fairth again Eragon had arrived and she put the templates back in her room and replaced the materials.

The following days preceding the Agaeti Blodhren passed quickly as Oromis kept both Eragon and Payton busy and both of their spare time was focused on their gifts for the celebration. It was the day before and Payton had finally perfected both of the images, although the mist would not lift, she got it to fade enough so that all of the scene could be seen and understood. She hoped the elves would appreciate both her and Vanilor's gifts.

The night of the Agaeti Blodhren celebration was much different than any Payton had ever experienced everything about this night felt different to her. She knew it had to be some sort of magic, Oromis had warned her about it earlier that day. Just as Oromis had given Eragon, he had also given Payton the same list of wards to cast upon herself; although how well they were working she wasn't sure.

She sat next to Vanilor as Islanzadi marked the commencement of the celebration and a trillion different things appeared to be happening at once. Payton found herself constantly jerking her head back and forth in an attempt to see everything that was going on; her senses teasing her as the elves' melodic voices droned into the background. Payton vaguely remembered dancing to the music that was played and watching the many items that had been presented for the celebration, including Islanzadi's and Arya's gifts, both of which were beautiful.

The days of the celebration had blurred together except for one incident. Oromis noticed the power the magic held over both Payton and Eragon and sat each of them down, although away from each other by the river. Payton found herself wandering a mere three minutes after Oromis had left. She ran along the branches in the trees until she found herself above Eragon. Holding onto the branches with her legs, she swung upside down from the tree, her brown locks which had grown out to her mid-trunk since her arrival in Alagaesia. Eragon looked up and suddenly found himself laying on his back staring straight up at Payton.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" She hopped down and sat by the river.

"It's nice, although we must watch ourselves." Payton found a fallen leaf on the ground and set it in the river.

"I am watched, not only by myself, but by others." Payton rambled on, obviously not having as much discipline as Eragon had. "I want to swim." Eragon only looked at her in confusion.

"Swim?"

"Yes, in the river." Payton removed her boots and jumped in; the normally swift moving river had been changed by the Blood-Oath celebration and was unusually calm and easygoing. Not far from the shore was a fairly large rock, Payton pressed her feet on it and stood parallel with the river bed, floating on the river as it gently held her upright.

"You should be careful, something could happen." Eragon felt his body tense as if he was waiting for something to happen.

"You should not worry; I only do what I know." Payton turned over onto her stomach arching her back and lifting her left leg. Eragon gasped in fear that she would topple under. She giggled as she quickly twisted her body so that she was on her back again and she was standing upright on the rock before Eragon could make another comment.

_Come quick._ Both Vanilor and Saphira motioned them to return to the celebration, Eragon's fear and the water soothing Payton's soul from the effects of the magic. It was time for them to present their gifts; Payton threw her boots back on, suddenly becoming nervous. Eragon and Saphira went first, both presenting amazing gifts, leaving Payton feeling useless as both a rider and a guest. She picked up her gift and presented it to the elves, pressing her fingers to her lips and speaking in the ancient language.

"Although Master Oromis had spoken to me about using magic to create a gift for the Agaeti Blodhren, I felt compelled to create this image. The left image displayed her reaching for the egg underneath the oak tree, as the right image displayed her rinsing off the egg in the lake. To Payton's surprise the elves cheered wildly and Islanzadi spoke for them.

"You are a blessing to us more than you realize, although your gift is simple, it is heartfelt and it conveys meaning." Payton smiled and left the stage as Vanilor presented his gift, the elves receiving it with equal admiration. The following day passed quicker than Payton could imagine and she suddenly found herself next to Eragon and Saphira, as well as Vanilor. The two elven women had begun their dance and Payton watched it with excitement until she suddenly became nauseated and she noticed that Eragon had fainted. She felt her eyes begin to burn and felt the sudden urge to vomit when she found herself unconscious. Although unconscious she saw a dragon-like form from behind her lids and it spoke to her;

"Follow this young rider in his journey, the two of you are our only hope." Her eyes had begun to burn and she felt like she was screaming, but felt no noise escape her throat. She felt her life teetering on the edge of life then suddenly found herself looking up at what looked like one of the elven houses.

Author Note: Sorry this chapter took a bit longer to get out. Tis currently 1:40 AM. I got the sudden urge to write since having gotten my book back. And here it is. I hope you enjoyed it


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Thirteen

Author Note: To everyone who has reviewed. Thanks a bunches! It really does make me laugh and make me feel good about what I'm doing.

Payton sat up and looked around to find Eragon lying on the floor next to her. She swung her legs off the bed and gasped wide-eyed as she looked at Eragon. Her hands grabbed for her ears not only to ensure that they were indeed still attached, but also to feel the shape, she sighed in relief when she found that they were indeed shaped like ears. She lowered herself to the floor and slowly inched her way over to Eragon. _Poor Eragon, what have they done to you._ Payton reached her hand out to touch his ears but froze when he opened his eyes.

"Hi," was all that Payton could think to say when caught in such an awkward situation.

"What are we doing here?" Eragon realized they were in his room but couldn't quite put everything together. Payton brought her outstretched hand back and brought her fingers to her mouth in thought.

"Well, that I'm not so sure, but…" she was unsure of how to word the current situation and the odd looks Eragon was giving her weren't very reassuring. "You need a mirror," she paused again curious of how Eragon would respond. Payton stood up and made her way to what she believed to be the bathroom and returned but held the mirror in her hands. "You are Eragon right?" Payton didn't understand exactly what had occurred.

"Of course," Eragon was extremely curious and nervous to find out what Payton was talking about. She handed him the mirror and he looked into it with surprise. Payton became wide-eyed as Eragon had begun removing his tunic.

"What are you doing?" Payton backed away nervously afraid that he had somehow gone mad.

"My scar is gone!" Eragon was ecstatic. He picked up the mirror and handed it to Payton. "Perhaps you should have a look too." Payton's hands trembled as she grabbed the mirror from Eragon's hands. Touching her face it appeared thinner and her eyes burned a vibrant green instead of the brown they had always been.

"What happened to us?" Payton examined her legs much as Eragon his and noticed that all of the bruises that remained on her shins from her excursions as a child were gone.

"I don't know," Eragon smiled ecstatically. Payton quickly whirled around so that her back was too Eragon and she shielded her eyes. "Sorry," Eragon paused forgetting that it wasn't proper for him to change clothing when a female was present.

"It's okay, I should be going anyway, I need to find Vanilor." Payton hurriedly descended the staircase blushing furiously. _Where are you? _Payton headed back to Oromis' hut, the place she thought would be her best guess in finding him. _Hunting _was Vanilor's nonchalant reply. _You need to come quick! _She continued on to Oromis' anyway hoping that he might have some answers. _I've already seen you, all is well, do not worry. Oromis will have the answers you seek._ Payton groaned, _you are the most unhelpful dragon ever._ Vanilor chuckled at how distraught Payton was over something so simple. Payton arrived at Oromis' hut finding that she was oddly energized. She opened the door and looked around. She made her way to the library where Oromis was flipping the pages of a book. "What happened to me?" Payton wasted no time in getting straight to the point. Oromis only looked up and examined her as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Well, this is unlike anything I've ever seen before," he paused, standing up to examine her ears, "but it appears as though the spirit of the dragons has altered your physical appearance in order to better suit your needs."

"Better suit my needs?"

"Did you hear anything before going unconscious?"

"Yes, I was told that I should follow Eragon on his journey, and that we were their only hope."

"I assume their means the dragons' only hope." Oromis looked thoughtful for a second. "All that I can tell you is to accept these gifts with open arms; nobody has ever been blessed like the two of you have, although it appears as though Eragon has been changed more than you have."

"I don't mind, I can't really say that I want pointy ears." Payton felt her ears again to ensure that they were indeed the shape that she had last remembered them.

"Well, they won't stay that way forever." Oromis let out a small chuckle.

"Excuse me?" Payton glared at him not finding the situation funny in the slightest bit.

"It comes with being a rider; Vanilor's magic will take its toll on your body, altering it to become more elf-like, just as your face and eyes have; the same goes with Eragon's features." Oromis replaced the book he had been flipping through. "Visual changes are not the only changes are they?" Oromis reclaimed his seat.

"I don't think I experience fatigue nearly as much as I normally do and I can hear a bit better." Payton felt that Oromis was way too calm for this situation.

"Good, this means that your training will flow much more smoothly."

"In that case I'm going to go relax before you kill me." Payton found her way outside and found her tree in which she shot her arrows from. _Are you coming back yet?_ Payton had never felt so impatient in all her life. _I am on my way; nothing is going to change in such a short amount of time. _Payton furred her eyebrows at Vanilor's response. _You never know, I changed in less than three hours._ Vanilor landed beside the tree shaking it until Payton fell out and Vanilor caught her. _That was a rare occasion; do try to trust me more. _Payton caught her breath after having it scared out of her. _I do trust you; it just worries me a lot, nothing like this has ever happened to me before. _She frowned at him. _Nothing bad will ever happen to you as long as I'm here._ She climbed onto his back. _Can we go flying please? We've been training so much lately that I don't ever get to ride for long distances. _Vanilor moved his wings and with a gust of wind they lifted off from the ground.

That day was the last relaxing day Payton would experience for quite some time. The following week had a strict regimen, in which Payton was even able to practice her sword skills against Eragon. She wasn't quite up to his standards, so it didn't happen very often; she still preferred to use her bow rather than the sword, despite her new abilities. It had only been eight days but Payton had managed to make quite a difference in all of her training. She did not have the level of experience that Eragon had, and she had never really expected to simply for the fact that she felt as if she existed solely for the purpose of helping Eragon, whereas Eragon's purpose was to defeat Galbatorix. She assumed that it only be right that Eragon be more powerful and capable.

Oromis had tried to teach Payton many things, one of which was herbology. He would send her on trips into Du Weldenvarden to find herbs that could be used for different purposes. Payton had managed to find one herb that would cure various types of poisons, and another herb that was actually a poison. She found it ironic that she had found a poison and its antidote living within the same vicinity of one another. It always seemed to her that finding her way back was always harder than actually finding the herbs. She approached Oromis' hut but stopped when she heard Eragon speaking harshly with Oromis in the clearing.

_What is going on?_ Payton noticed Vanilor in the clearing with them. _Eragon and Saphira will be leaving. Apparently Galbatorix is about to combat the Varden in Surda. _Payton had no idea any of this was happening. _When will they be leaving?_ Payton turned away and headed toward the back of the hut. _We will not be going. Do not bother packing your belongings. It has already been decided. We will not be able to accomplish much at our current skill level. We would only get in the way. We will continue our training here until we are ready. _Payton stopped and lowered her head. _What if it's too late by the time we're done? What if they lose, what if something happens to Eragon? How am I supposed to help if I'm all the way here?_ She sat her back against the hut and slid down so that her knees were to her chest. A million different possibilities went through her mind. She knew she had to help Eragon but there was no possible way she could provide any assistance if she was nowhere near the battle, especially if she was all the way in Ellesmera. _Let us ask Oromis to increase our training. It may not help by much, but it is the best we can do. We can give Eragon and Saphira encouragement, and we can promise to assist them as soon as we are capable. There is nothing else we can do but train. It may seem futile but it will be encouraging for them to know that we will join them soon._ Payton looked up to the sky and waited for Oromis to finish talking with Eragon and Saphira. She didn't want them to go, but knew that nothing she said or did would change anything.

_I'm going to train; I'm going to do my best to finish my training as quickly as I can. Eragon needs me, the Varden needs me, all of Alagaesia need me._ Payton smiled excitedly. _We can do this Vanilor. We must._

Author Note: Sorry it's been some time since I've updated. I started writing this a couple nights ago, and since I only write at my dad's house and I had to go home, I didn't have time to finish it. Then with Valentine's Day and making cakes and whatnot I didn't have time to until now. So here it is. I promise to try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. I really do have it all planned out in my head and on a piece of paper. It's just a matter of getting it all onto the computer screen. Oh and I want to say Thank You to everyone who has read thus far. I officially have 2005 hits on my story. As well as 29 reviews. This makes me happy. So Thank you!


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Fourteen

Author Note: I appreciate everyone's ehhhh enthusiasm thus far with the story! Lol. If you ever have any questions I'll try to either PM them back to you or answer them on here so don't hesitate to ask.

**Lu: In regards to chapter 5 she was dirty because she had kicked up the dirt from the bottom of the floor and it had settled on her. And I don't know if I'll be updating my other story for awhile. I don't like it as much as this one. It needs to be redone because looking at it, it seems a little unrealistic. But once I get further in this one I'll start messing with it again. I really do appreciate all of your input though!! **

Payton and Vanilor spent the next couple of days pushing themselves past what they felt were their limits. They'd made excellent progress considering the time but Oromis still felt that they were not ready. Payton found herself constantly being reminded of how strong Galbatorix was and that 'if he was so easily defeated none of this would be necessary'. Oromis words' and tone reverberated in her head as she continued her search for more herbs. She hadn't gone out in search for more since the day Eragon had left, but Oromis felt it was necessary that she collect herbs, she was sent to look for a specific kind of herb that would restore a person's energy as well as heal small wounds. Payton doubted how much she would need this herb in the future seeing as how she felt nobody would be suffering small wounds, only large life threatening ones. She had come to know that area of the forest fairly well.

_If the elves are so masterful with making plants grow in the fashion they want, then why am I searching for herbs? _Payton stomped through the forest, upset that she was wasting her time finding herbs rather than training what was necessary. _Please be patient, Master Oromis knows what he is doing. In answer to your question, not all things can be done through magic. _Payton pouted as she spotted another one of the cursed herbs she was forced to gather. She found a few more before heading back. Prior to her search, Oromis had lectured her that these herbs were only to be used when needed due to the fact that they were considered to be sacred by the elves and only grew solitarily. She returned to Oromis' hut with five herbs total which could make approximately four separate potions when needed. Oromis had a few that he kept in stock just in case they were needed and he had given Payton a few to take in the mornings so that she could continue her training smoothly.

"How many did you retrieve?" Oromis was creating something with some of the other herbs Payton had gathered.

"Five." She set them in front of them.

"Good, you know what to do with them." Payton gathered them back up in her arms and took them over to the wash basin where she could rinse them off so they could be stored in her backpack. "I have something else for you as well. I want you to insert these weights into your boots. They are only temporary during your training. I also have some weights I would like for you to attach to your wrists." Payton nodded in confirmation. After she finished rinsing off the herbs she gathered the weights and inserted them into the slots.

"I can feel the difference, but will it really be enough to do any good?" Payton had gotten to the point where she no longer questioned Oromis' method of training, but accepted it as something that she knew she must do.

"I don't want it to be too drastic, only enough so that you actually feel lighter when they are removed. It will allow you to move more swiftly in battle. The wrist weights will give your more control over your sword as well." Oromis led Payton outside where she practiced her magic until Vanilor returned. Although Oromis had bid her goodnight hours ago, Payton had stayed up late reading over her latest list of the ancient language rules and words that she was required to know.

_You should really consider getting some sleep soon. Every day is a big day; your body will not be able to handle too much if you don't get the required rest. _Payton sighed setting down the list and lie down on her bed. _I know. It's just hard to sleep not knowing what is going on in Surda. I don't want anything bad to happen to Eragon or Saphira. _Payton covered herself with the blanket and extinguished the lights with the ancient language.

As the previous days had tested their limits, the next day was no exception. Since Eragon had left, Vanir had become Payton's partner in the mornings. He had obviously learned his lesson from Eragon and now respected Payton as well, not that she minded. Oromis had followed up the morning fighting with teaching Payton how to handle larger forms of magic and showing her how to draw energy from her surroundings. She had worked with drawing energy previously, but had never done it in its entirety. At the end of the day, Oromis supplied dinner which consisted mainly of fruits, which Payton had grown to love while in Ellesmera. Glaedr and Vanilor had gone off in search of food, the two had bonded surprisingly well considering Glaedr's dislike toward Saphira.

"I want to discuss something with you." Oromis paused, took a sip of his beverage and set it back down. "I know you are more than eager to join the battle in Surda, and you have proven this with your training. You have learned more in such a short time than any other rider ever has, even Eragon. If you feel that you are ready, you may leave tomorrow." Oromis awaited Payton's response, who was taking a surprisingly long time to respond.

"I think I'm ready, unless of course there is something that you think I have missed." Oromis could tell that she was entirely sincere, not just looking to see if this was simply a test.

"You are not as ready as I would prefer, but I do feel as though you are needed in this battle. I do not know the current status; it would bring me great comfort if you were there, not only to aide Eragon, but also to bring hope to the Varden. You are our element of surprise. Nobody knows you exist, not even the leader of the Varden, meaning that when you show up, there will be a mixture of feelings, and when the Varden realizes what side you are on, there will be renewed hope." Payton nodded excitedly. "I assume Vanilor already knows. Glaedr will have informed him, eat as much as you can and I will go over the preparations with you in the morning, be sure to pack tonight so that you can get an early start tomorrow.

Payton had never felt as though she had ever eaten so quickly in her life, and she noticed the odd glances she was receiving from Oromis. She ran to her room to begin packing everything that she would need on her trip. She made sure that her sword and bow were together and set all of her belongings in her back pack. She didn't own much, so it was easy to pack but she still felt as if she had so much to do. _Calm down, if you're so excited you won't be able to fall asleep tonight. _Payton grinned as Vanilor landed outside of her window. _Oh, I will be able to sleep. If I don't sleep it will seem like it has taken so much longer for morning to arrive. _Payton became more anxious and frightened the more she thought about it, for all she knew the battle could be over already and she could arrive to find Saphira slain and lying on the battle field. She shuddered at the thought. Her imagination continued to run wild as she fell into an awkward sleep.

She woke to the awful alarm Oromis had given her the next morning. She entered the main living quarters to find Oromis already awake with a pile of arrows lying on the table.

"Those are yours, as a parting gift. I was unsure of what else you might need. So I have a bit of advice of which I will save for last." Oromis beckoned her to retrieve her belongings and meet her out front. "I have the ability to communicate telepathically, it's hard to master so don't expect to learn it any time soon. Every so often I will scry you as you are traveling. Then I will communicate with you and tell you in which direction to head. This will be your only guide, so when I speak to you pay attention. I may only speak to you once in a day, but that does not mean that I am not scrying you. If I find that you are in trouble are lost, I will communicate but if that is not the case then you are on the correct path." Oromis continued to reiterate each of these ideas in order to drill them in Payton's head which only annoyed her.

"I know, I know, I understood you the first time. I am not a twelve year old; I think I'm capable of listening when you give me directions." Oromis sighed hoping that she had indeed listened.

"My final parting gift and piece of advice do not make alliances with anyone, remain a free agent." Payton looked surprised at this advice.

"I don't get it."

"Every race is trying to control Eragon at the moment. Unfortunately they had all backed Eragon into corners so that he would either have to disgrace them or agree to their alliance. Do not allow this to happen. Be loyal only to Eragon. But I want you to make a promise much like the one Eragon had made. Promise you will return to finish your training." All of this was spoken in the ancient language so that Payton could understand the seriousness of the situation.

"I promise, I will return." She smiled and hugged Oromis, catching him off guard. "Thank you Master Oromis. This all means so much to me." Oromis was unsure of what to do, and Payton mounted Vanilor as she followed the first day of instructions that Oromis had given her. _I'll be there soon Eragon._ Payton smiled as she felt the wind streak through her hair. _We will be there soon._ Vanilor corrected her, only causing her smile to widen.

Author Note: I know it's short, but I decided to update again tonight since I have slightly deprived my readers (sorry). The next chapter may be somewhat short as well, but do not fear, it will be full of content. A certain content that I have been WAITING to put in my chapters for quite some time. I think it's an absolutely brilliant idea but unfortunately we must follow this story in chronological order so I've been forcing myself to wait. I hope you liked it!!


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Fifteen

Even though Oromis has already given her the instructions to reach the first location, he continued to communicate with her mentally and she could return messages to him through that link.

_You may not go as far as Eragon could in one day, but in any case I want you to go as far as you can and only make camp where it is safe. _Payton mouthed the words as Oromis spoke. _I can see you; I am only doing this because I am worried about you._

_If you were so worried than why are we going? You worry because you think we are incapable and if we are truly incapable than we have no right to be going._

_It is not that I believe you to be incapable, simply the fact that this is your first time ever leaving Du Weldenvarden and many dangers lurk in this world._

_We know there are dangers, we aren't going to stop to talk with anyone, we aren't going to stop at any towns or villages, we are going to fly low enough so that people can see us, but not low enough so that they can harm us. We are going straight to the battlefield in Surda._ Payton recited everything that Oromis had told her.

_Okay, remember, Eragon and Saphira made it outside of Du Weldenvarden on the first day, if you can find their campsite that is great, but at least make it outside of the forest and onto the plains. If for some reason you should near the desert, do not stay there, stay in the plains. Good luck, I will scry you occasionally to check on you._

_Thank you._ Payton was relieved that Oromis was going to stop bothering her, but at the same time nervous about what was awaiting her. She had an extra map that Oromis gave her, but only that and Oromis directions were her guide, she nor Vanilor had any previous experience traveling Alagaesia. The wind blew softly, which Vanilor used to his advantage to help them gain extra distance that they would not have been able to cover otherwise. Payton amused herself by studying the ancient language silently, hoping that she wouldn't forget anything important that she may need. The sun had begun to set and they had already gotten out of Du Weldenvarden but Vanilor wanted to continue on.

_Let us keep going until dark, I do not want to arrive late._

_It is your choice._ Payton didn't mind Vanilor's determination, but at the same time she did not want him to become fatigued. _I love you, thank you for everything._ She spoke in the ancient language and gripped him tighter.

_I love you too, but there is no need to thank me, I do this for you just as much as I do for myself._ By the time it had become night, Vanilor had passed Eragon and Saphira's encampment mainly because they had left earlier in the day than Eragon and Saphira had, but also due to the light wind that pushed Vanilor along. Payton did not bother to create a campfire but simply slept under Vanilor's wing using her backpack as a headrest. Payton woke up to Vanilor nudging her physically and Oromis nudging her mentally.

_Today you must begin your voyage through the Hadarac Desert. You will have to camp there and you may be in the desert for two to three days if all goes well. Eat before you leave, and once in the desert your only source of water will be through magic. You will have to pull water up from the ground in order to drink, so safe your energy and try to get out of the desert as quickly as possible. _Payton repeated his instructions back to him so that he could ensure that she understood all of them correctly and Vanilor hunted for food quickly before they took off. They covered much less distance once in the desert, from looking at the map she estimated that it would take them three days to reach the end of the desert, and it would be a total of four days before they reached the battle field.

As Payton had thought, they were still in the Hadarac Desert as the second day turned to night. She pulled water from the ground and allowed Vanilor to drink as much as he wanted before bending over to sip the water and to fill up her flask. Despite the heat, Payton slept under Vanilor's wing again at his request for her safety.

She felt her body tense as morning rose, but did not rise until she felt herself being prodded by a pointed edge. She felt the area around her with her mind before opening her eyes. As she had sensed there was a group of men with spears standing directly around her. Vanilor had a spear pointing at him too. Surveying the area around her, she noticed that they could easily escape but decided against it.

"Who are you?" They spoke in the standard Alagaesian language.

"My name is Payton and this is my dragon Vanilor." She spoke in the ancient language hoping that at least one of them would understand. The largest man consulted the man to his left and the man to his right before responding in the ancient language.

"Why are you traveling through the Hadarac Desert?" She picked the most frightened looking of the group and probed his mind. Luckily he did not appear to notice the intrusion and it seemed to her that he had no magic ability whatsoever. She gathered all of the information on him and his tribe that she could without delaying to answer his question.

"I am on my way to Surda to join the fight against Galbatorix." The group of men paused and the leader nodded to the man on his left.

"In that case go," they lowered their spears and took a step back from both Vanilor and Payton.

"So easily?" Payton looked confused.

"You speak honestly in the ancient language, you are a rider, and most of all, you are going to defeat Galbatorix. We are in your debt." Payton stood up and smiled.

"Reisa du adurna." Payton brought the water to the surface and the men looked in awe. Vanilor slowly made his way over as not to scare the men and began to drink. "Please, take as much as you need." The men thanked her and began to drink and fill their flasks. When all were finished she lowered the water and mounted Vanilor.

"Good luck in your travels rider, as well as in your battle against Galbatorix."

"Thank you, good luck to you all as well." Vanilor clutched the ground and jumped off.

_It is good to make allies._ Vanilor complimented her on her decision.

_Everyone looks up to riders; I don't want to give them a bad name. And it's always good to be well liked._

_That it is, especially when they are pointing spears at you. _They pair suddenly felt a nudging at their minds. _Hi Oromis._

_You seem in a good mood._

_We made some friends._ Oromis seemed concerned at this reply and Payton explained what had happened and that all was well. He gave her the directions to the area that had been designated as the battle field and explained to her that it was not far off. _You should be able to make it their before nightfall, but be sure not to get caught on enemy lines. _Payton reassured Oromis that she had all of the details correct and he let her be.

They flew in silence, Payton continuing to study everything she had learned from Oromis in her head and Vanilor concentrating on their destination. To Payton's surprise, they reached the area that was designated as the battle field to find nothing. She felt the familiar tugging at her mind when Oromis suddenly interrupted.

_It seems as though the battle is over. It is too late for it tonight, but you may want to fly to the capital of Surda. That will most likely be the headquarters of the Varden. I cannot stay and chat for now I do not have much energy at the moment. Find somewhere safe to stay and be sure that you are not found by anyone._ Payton clenched her fists angry that she had no idea what was happening. Oromis had gone before she could even respond and she had no idea where Eragon or Saphira were and she wouldn't be able to see them until at least tomorrow.

_Let us rest in the mountainous area. _Vanilor flew over to find a cliff when Payton had noticed someone on the ground below.

_Fly down lower._ Payton advised to receive weary feelings from Vanilor.

_What if they are not friendly? _Vanilor was cautious about approaching people on a battlefield.

_I've considered that but I would prefer that we go down there. What if we can win the favor of the people by helping them? If they're hurt they can't do anything to hurt us anyway and if we help them regain their strength they might join our side instead. _Vanilor still felt weary but lowered himself anyway, feeling tense as though he were ready to strike at any moment. As they got lower to the ground, she saw a young man lying on his back, deep gashes in his side. He was only wearing a tunic and a pair of pants. _I wonder if he's even a soldier. He looks like a civilian who was caught up in the battle._ They landed with a small thud and Payton lowered herself to the ground slowly. She spoke in the ancient language.

"My name is Payton; I'm going to help you." She even brought her fingers to her lips as was custom with the elves but the man made no attempt to move. She kneeled down next to him to find that the dark haired boy was unconscious. _He needs our help, I can't leave him here. _She told Vanilor who she could still feel was tense and weary.

Author Note: That's it! Lmao. I will probably update later tonight but for now I'm going to the movies. I LOVED writing this chapter. I am sooo going to enjoy writing the next one as well. Go ahead, try and guess who the boy is. You probably can but I bet you can't guess what's going to happen next!!


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Sixteen

Author Note: I just saw Ghost Rider. It was terrible. Don't go see it. I still have this residual feeling of wanting to commit suicide. Do the world a favor. Don't go see it. That's all I have to say.

**Mrowrkat98: I must say that I agree with you on the idea that Vanilor grew too quickly. I made the assumption that male dragons would grow much quicker than female dragons as well as the fact that Saphira never received proper instruction on how to fly until she was older. Dragon's are supposed to be human like so I figure since it's easier for children to learn things when they are younger, it should be the same for dragons. On the matter of physical size, I figure Saphira could carry Eragon by himself, but not others so I suppose it would make sense that Vanilor could carry one small girl. Even with those assumptions he still may have grown too quickly, and that's because I'm simply impatient. I only write this story at my dad's house so in my free time at school I plan the actual story out which means that I've got it mapped out far ahead of the actual writing. As for Payton being recessive, I think she will grow with time. She is not living for herself at the moment, she's in an entirely different world and all she has ever seen are the goals of the elves, dragons, and of course Eragon. Right now she is just living for others. Thank you though! I really do appreciate your input. I always wonder if I'm doing things wrong and I want to go back over my story one day and edit it so that it will be better so everything is helpful for the future.**

Payton looked over to see his eyes flickering open and made her way over. "How are you feeling?" He didn't respond but only looked at her in confusion. "I made this for you, it will help you regain your strength and it will heal some of your minor injuries." Payton spoke every word in the ancient language hoping he would trust and understand her but he only looked at her dazed and confused. "Are you alright?" She spoke in the standard Alagaesian language hoping he could understand her.

"I think so." He replied slowly his voice faltering.

"Drink this; it should help you feel better." She handed him one of the potions she had prepared. He held it in his hands looking at it oddly before smelling it and drinking it. He felt a sudden warmth surge through his body and looked up at her.

"That was amazing." He seemed almost simple minded to her.

_He doesn't seem evil at all._ Payton communicated with Vanilor who was searching for food as well as any remnants of the Varden. Payton's only response was a wall that blocked her from feeling his emotions, a response that she did not believe could be a good sign. "My name is Payton." She smiled to the boy who smiled in return.

"My name is Mohan." He appeared distant to her, something she dismissed quickly.

"What happened to you during the battle? I found you and you looked terrible." She adjusted one of the lights she had brought out of her backpack previously. Mohan furrowed his brow and his face suddenly became stern.

"I was forced to fight for Galbatorix. My family has owed a debt to him for generations and he has been waiting to find a way that we could pay him back. When he needed soldiers for the war, he forced me to participate." He clenched his fists.

"That's terrible. What ended up happening in the war?" Payton was hoping he could shed some light on the current situation but he only shook his head. He paused and took a deep breath before answering.

"All that I remember before blacking out was Galbatorix's army retreating. I don't think it's over entirely, I think Galbatorix just wasn't ready for this battle." He appeared very distraught by the ordeal.

_I'm going to stay away for awhile. Please reveal nothing to him._ Payton could feel Vanilor's presence near her, but not close enough for anyone else to sense it.

"What are you doing here?" Payton lowered her gaze to the floor coming up with a quick plan, regretting that he knew her real name.

"I heard about the battle here and I wanted to join the Varden. I don't like Galbatorix or anything that he has done. I came too late though. It is already over. I want to seek the Varden though, I want to help them!" She made it as believable as she could. She suddenly remembered the Gedwey Ignasia on her right palm and held her fists closed as to not expose it. "I bet you could join the Varden too if you hate Galbatorix so much!" Payton looked hopeful but he shook his head.

"I can't. Galbatorix knows who I am. If he knew that I had joined the Varden he would probably enslave my entire family." Payton muttered her condolences for him and his family.

"What do you plan on doing now? You won't return to him will you?" Saving this boy hadn't gone as well as Payton hoped it would.

"I don't see me doing anything anytime soon." He examined the gashes on his sides which were healing at a slow pace. "Once I can though, I want to return to my family. There is always the possibility that he will find me there but it's something I have to risk. I'll do anything for my family." Payton mulled many ideas over in her head.

"You should get your rest. I can give you more of the potion I gave you earlier and that should help it a bit. Although I can only give you so much at a time or your body may reject it entirely and it will only worsen your condition." Mohan looked grateful.

"Any help is appreciated. If it weren't for you I'd be baking underneath the sun right now." He lay back down wincing slightly at the pain, Payton set back to work on constructing another potion while Mohan rested quietly. She felt a tingly at her mind and awaited Oromis instructions for the day, but they never came. After a minute she closed her mind to all outside sources and set back to work.

_Will you ever come back?_ Payton watched as the ingredients in the potion set.

_Not while he is around. I do not feel comfortable exposing ourselves to someone who could possibly be controlled by the enemy later._ Payton was glad she had come up with a sufficient lie about who she was and what she was planning.

_I understand. We will leave tomorrow regardless of his health._ She knew she could not abandon her initial mission so easily, but at the same time she felt obligated to help someone in need.

In Alberon, Eragon, Arya, Saphira, and Nasuada were all conversing about the previous battle which ended up in victory for the Varden and Surda. Eragon had not yet had time to cure the cursed Elva, between healing the wounded, explaining everything to Nasuada, and planning their next move against Galbatorix. It was always on his mind though as he felt it was his duty to right his wrongs. Eragon had begun to lose focus so much that he had not even noticed the elven messenger that had entered the room. He touched his fingers to his lips before speaking.

"I wish to speak with Eragon-finiarel privately." Nasuada eyed him wearily but dismissed the two of them. Once they were out of earshot he spoke quietly and in the ancient language. "Has Payton-elda arrived yet?" Eragon's looked startled.

"Did Oromis permit her to leave Ellesmera?"

"Yes, she left four days ago, I did not see or sense her presence so I thought I should consult you."

"I have not seen nor heard from her. Speak this to no one, I will find her." Eragon communicated what he knew to Saphira and returned to his room. He retrieved a small wash basin and commanded that it reveal Payton to him. He could not recognize the area around her, but he noticed that it appeared to be rock, which he assumed to be some sort of mountainous area or cavern. She had herbs set out in front of her and off to her right was a blurred figure. All that Eragon could make out was that he had dark hair and he appeared to be sleeping. He spoke the words that would allow him to hear the scene only to find discomfort.

"This battle has been extremely ironic for me." The man on the floor groaned a bit, "I found my brother after not having been separated from him, only to find that he has sided with the Varden." Eragon felt his heart stop at the sound and felt Saphira's emotions surging through him.

_We must go._ Was all that she said and Eragon knew that she was right. Although they had explained everything to Payton, they had never had any visual images so there was no possible way she could ever understand who she was dealing with or what the consequences might be. Payton grabbed his bow and rushed out of his room to Saphira where he mounted her and they took off. It was already dark, but Eragon knew he could spare no time and that this situation was of the utmost importance.

"I have to leave tomorrow." She looked at the floor hoping he would not be disappointed in her.

"That is understandable, you have somewhere you need to be and I am simply a stranger you found, you have no obligation to me."

"You say that, but I feel as though I am required to help you, as if I was drawn to you by some outside force, as though it's my duty."

_Watch your words, people are clever and can often hide their true thoughts and feelings._ Vanilor was very weary of Mohan and felt his entire body tense as though he were ready to pounce at any time.

"I think I will be much better tomorrow, your potions have worked wonders." Despite the fact that the gashes in his sides originally appeared to be life threatening they seemed to heal rapidly. "I think they have not only cured my minor injuries, but assisted my body in repairing itself as well. Tomorrow I shall begin my journey back home as well." He smiled weakly to her. "I am forever in your debt, thank you for all of your help." It was not long before both of them fell asleep for the night.

Eragon frantically found his way back to the battlefield but was unable to find his way to where he had last fought Murtagh.

_We will have to camp here for the night; there is no way we will be able to find our way without light._ Eragon was frustrated to find out that finding Payton had to be delayed but he did not argue, once they landed he found a small lake and scryed her again, also seeking to hear any noises as well. He saw Payton lying down, asleep but also saw a shadowy figure kneeling down next to her, his entire form blurred. The figure, undoubtedly Murtagh, reached for her right hand and unfurled it, revealing the Gedwey Ignasia. All that Eragon heard was muffled laughter and the figured disappeared again leaving Payton asleep. He slammed his fist into the ground with anger. Saphira felt hot blood rushing through her body. _I feel the same anger as you do, but there is nothing we can do, we will rouse at the first sign of daybreak and be on our way, it will not take us long to find them in the daylight._ Saphira settled down opening her wing allowing Eragon to take his place, but he found that sleep was hard to come by that night.

Morning came and Payton roused first due to Vanilor's mental prodding. _We must go today; you may say your goodbyes but please keep them short._ Payton yawned and made her way over to Mohan who was still asleep. She shook him lightly until he awoke.

"I should be leaving now," Payton was unsure of how to say such an awkward goodbye.

"I understand, thank you for everything, please, for the sake of Alagaesia, defeat Galbatorix." Payton smiled confidently.

"We will." She packed all of her belongings into her backpack and had begun to leave when Mohan stopped her.

"I feel as though I have no other way to express it," Payton didn't understand what he meant until she felt his lips brushing against hers. She felt her heart beating faster unsure of what she should do.

Eragon swiped the image from the lake with his hands. "We have to go now!" He mounted Saphira determined to reach Murtagh before he left. They were not far from the rocky cliffs and they spotted Payton trekking through the range, Eragon and Saphira lowered to see her. Payton looked up, still blushing red to see Eragon and Saphira but suddenly whirled around to see a red bulk rising behind the cave. Murtagh stood on top of Thorn waving cockily to Eragon. Payton felt confusion tear through her mind as well as anger that she felt surging through Vanilor who suddenly flew from the opposite side of the mountain range.

"I will see you soon brother." Murtagh held Zar'roc by his side as he and Thorn sped off. Payton continued to feel utterly confused and helpless. She suddenly felt betrayal and hurt surging through as she realized that Mohan was not who he said he was in the slightest. She felt hot tears of not only sadness but shame wet her cheeks. She suddenly realized why Oromis had been so weary about her venturing across Alagaesia. People were not always who they appeared and she had not yet acquired the instincts needed to identify such people.

_I'm sorry Vanilor._ Vanilor landed beside her and nudged her softly. She mounted him without saying a word; both Vanilor and Saphira lifted off heading for Alberon.

Author Note: I hope you enjoyed it! Any comments/suggestions/questions are welcome as always. I posted this the first time, realizing the ending was entirely wrong. A couple of quick changes and it should be fixed though. Please tell me if you notice anything wrong with it!!


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Seventeen

Author Note: TheWildMage brought to my attention that the scene change had not occurred right in my last chapter. I had tried to add an extra space and did not think to check that it was indeed there before uploading the chapter. My sorries. If I need to do any more scene changes I'll try to find something that will signify it.

Eragon, Saphira, Vanilor, and Payton all flew in complete silence, at least as far as Payton could hear they were. They flew over the battlefield where all of those who were killed in the war were being cleaned up. They made their way toward Alberon but landed a distance outside of the city. Eragon dismounted Saphira and Payton followed his lead.

"There are a lot of things that need to be explained." Eragon was unsure of when he would get a chance like this to tell Payton about the battle. "That man, is not who he said he was." He clenched his fists and crossed his arms glaring at the ground. "He is Murtagh, son of Morzan the foresworn, and my brother." The initial information had not shocked Payton so much, but had simply upset her but Eragon calling Murtagh his brother did not make any sense. Eragon told Payton the story of his mother and that the twins had found out. He vaguely described the scene where he himself was told and how Zar'roc was taken from him.

"What happened with the battle?" Payton had a mixture of feelings overwhelming her.

"We won, but Galbatorix is not defeated, Murtagh and I fought several times. The first time I fought I did not have much energy left so I lost. After that I took energy from Galbatorix's troops, not only making it easier for us to win, but making it easier for me to fight against Murtagh. I finally overpowered him and I think Galbatorix knew it because he withdrew all of his remaining soldiers."

"But you don't have a sword." Payton did not see Eragon carrying any sword or anything else he could defeat Murtagh with.

"I only used a sword when I became a rider. I do know how to use a bow and arrow."

"Galbatorix will know about me now that Murtagh is going to return to him." Eragon glanced at the floor.

"I'm not so sure about that, as much power as Galbatorix wields and can give Murtagh. I think he would rather be free, he may not return to Galbatorix as long as Galbatorix does not know he is alive. He may return and say nothing of you. Or it could be just as you said; he may return and speak everything he knows. We must go." Eragon mounted Saphira and they made their way to Surda's castle where Saphira and Vanilor landed in the open air court yard. "We have to find Arya."

_Next time we see that boy, he is dead._ Vanilor released a puff of smoke from his nostrils. Payton could feel his anger surging through her and it did not make her feel happy in the slightest. Eragon grabbed Payton's hand and lead her to Arya's room, practically running. Eragon knocked on the door.

"Why are we here?" Arya opened the door to find a confused Payton and a determined looking Eragon.

"Can you create something that will make it so that no one can scry Payton?" Arya nodded calmly despite Eragon's impatience.

"I take it she has met Murtagh?" Arya led them into her room.

"Yes." Eragon found a seat at a small table.

"I see, do you have anything that you wear everyday? That will make it easiest so that you will not forget it. It must be something that you wear even in sleep." Payton's hands reached up for her necklace that her mother gave her for her fifteenth birthday. She undid the clasp to expose a chain that was directly attached to a small metal heart and handed it to Arya. She stretched it out in front of her and spoke the incantation. The metal became a bright red before fading back into its silver color once again. "Put it back on." Arya returned the necklace to Payton.

"Thank you." Payton hoped that Arya would not ask details on her encounter with Murtagh.

"We should go; I'll show you to your room." Eragon stood up; both Payton and Arya could tell that something was distressing him but dared not ask what. "Nasuada, the leader of the Varden, gave me a few rooms for the villagers of Carvahall, but there is an empty room near mine so if you need me I will only be a few doors down." Eragon led her down the hallway and stopped, pulling open the door. "There isn't much to these rooms, but it's better than sleeping in a tent." Payton thanked him quietly, she had a feeling she was the cause of the distress he was feeling.

"I'm sorry for any problems I may have caused." She fidgeted with her hands and watched the floor in front of her.

"Do not worry about it, the room on your right is my cousin Roran's and the door on the right of that one is mine if you need me." Eragon changed the subject as quickly as he could. "I'll find out about what our next step will be against Galbatorix tomorrow as well as inform Nasuada of your whereabouts as well as your arrival. Goodnight." Payton entered the room quietly and set her backpack down next to the bed. She sat down on the bed and removed her boots. She always wondered if the people of Alagaesia wore socks, she had one pair from when she was transported there and had never bothered to ask Oromis and never witnessed him dressing himself to ask. Rather than asking him, she simply washed them as often as possible. One thing she was glad about was that she had her favorite pair of socks; they were pink and were not visible when she wore her shoes. She lay down on the bed and looked at the ceiling.

_I'm an idiot._ She thought to Vanilor.

_No, you are simply inexperienced. Your world is different from ours as will be your expectations of others._

_My world really isn't **that** different though. People are deceptive in my world too._

_Please don't think about it too much, you can't change the past, just try to keep this in mind for the future._ Payton sat up, deciding to explore her surroundings. She didn't feel the need to put her shoes back on so she ventured out in her socks. She opened her door peeking out, unsure if Eragon would agree with her decision to explore. She saw a man entering his room.

"Hi," he smiled softly to her.

"Hi," Payton smiled back and tried to get away as soon as she could. She left off in the opposite direction of him and found herself walking through a hallway that seemed to curve back around; she wondered if the hallway made one big loop. As the first bend in the hallway unwound, she saw a little girl sitting outside of her room. The little girl looked at Payton and smiled curiously. Payton smiled back softly.

"It's not really your fault, he was very charming and he did seem sincere." Payton stopped dead in her tracks and just looked at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Murtagh, you aren't the only girl he has manage to fool, Nasuada believed in his heart as well. There's really nothing wrong with it." Payton was still utterly confused by the girl. _How does she know so much? _Payton felt her stomach churning uneasily.

"I should be going now," Payton felt her eyes watering and rubbed them as she walked off.

_She is the cursed girl, known as Elva. _Vanilor was apparently listening to her entire conversation.

_Where are you?_ Payton found her way down the stairs and made her way down them passing a few people here and there.

_I am in the courtyard._

_Do you think I could stay with you tonight?_ Payton did not feel comfortable being alone at the moment.

_I don't see why not._ Payton joined Vanilor in the courtyard and he spread open his wings.

_You are ready for bed now?_ She nodded her head and lay on the ground next to him.

_I want to defeat Galbatorix and Murtagh. I hate them both. _She still couldn't believe that Murtagh had the audacity to lie to her like that.

_You aren't alone._ He curled up, careful not to squish Payton and they both fell asleep.

Payton awoke on her own accord the next day, prodding Vanilor's underside until he woke up as well. _We should find Eragon today, if we are going to pursue Galbatorix it will be good to know ahead of time rather than finding out at the last minute. _

Vanilor lay his body back down after Payton moved. _We should find Eragon? I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't fit in the hallways where Eragon would most likely be. _Payton stuck her tongue at him and found her way back up the stairs.

_I will find Eragon then, thank you for your help though._ She was sarcastic in her response. She reached the level that contained both her and Eragon's rooms and decided to see if it really did reach in a complete circle, not only because she thought the distance was shorter, but also because she didn't care for Elva all that much. Her to delight, it did reach a full circle and she knocked on Eragon's door, but there was no response. She considered knocking on Roran's door to see if perhaps he might know where Eragon had gone off to, but she decided not to bother him and simply went back to her room.

She wiped her forehead off with a rag she found in her room, finding that the heat in Surda was not comfortable in the least. She opened the window in her room, allowing a small breeze to find its way in. She sat in the window, her right leg dangling over the edge while her other one was propped against the inside of the window so that she was sitting on the windowsill. It seemed hectic outside as people came to and from the castle. She noticed a fairly large group of people building homes not too far from the castle. Aside from the heat, she decided that she had liked what little of Surda she had seen.

Payton noticed a woman and a group of approximately 12 people standing outside the castle, she watched them with suspicion, and she whispered the incantation that allowed her to listen from a distance. Although she could hear what they were saying, she was unsure of their intentions. She slowly began to penetrate the lady who appeared to be the leader's mind, only to find it being blocked. Her left hand reached for her bow and arrows as she saw something small flying at her with deadly force. She jumped out of the windowsill and off the side of the castle, firing an arrow at the woman. She twisted her body around to see if the arrow had united with the target only to see Eragon looking at her with a blank expression on his face.

_Oops._ Payton made contact against the castle to try and slow her fall. To no avail, she kicked off of the castle but was still unable to slow her descent. Eragon backed up enough just in time to catch her, but they both fell to the ground. Payton hid Eragon with a thud and continued to roll and found herself on her feet in the end. "Sorry." Eragon sat up on the ground and just looked at her.

"This is Du Vrangr Gata; they are the Varden's only wizards." Payton knew she had fucked up once again. "We are going to help them increase their vocabulary in the ancient language." Eragon stood up and brushed himself off. "This is Payton, she is also a rider." All of the members of Du Vrangr Gata relaxed immediately upon his introduction of her realizing that she was not an enemy but that it was all a misunderstanding. Eragon led everyone to a small stream and gave them the same task with which he had summoned Payton. They stood in two rows facing each other, soaking one another as they passed balls of water back and forth practicing. Payton took her socks off of her feet and placed them in her pocket.

She let her feet dangle in the water, not wanting to participate in this activity. She hummed softly to herself as she watched the fish dart underneath the water. Eragon sat next to her cross-legged. "We won't be making any moves against Galbatorix for now. Everyone needs rest, every side has suffered many casualties, if you want to go back to Ellesmera you can, I have personal business I must tend and I told Nasuada I would help Du Vrangr Gata so they would be better prepared for the next time we must face Galbatorix."

"What will I do if I don't return to Ellesmera?" Payton was unsure of exactly what she wanted at the moment. She had initially thought that her future would simply unravel once they had entered the battle against Galbatorix, but it was obvious to her that it wouldn't be as simple as one battle deciding the fate of the world but a series of battles.

"I'm not sure, you could stay here in Surda and help the Varden or if you had anything you wanted to do personally you could I suppose." Eragon wasn't sure of exactly what Payton had in mind and didn't want her thinking she could run off and do anything.

"I need more experience in this world, no amount of training can compare to experience. I just don't know how I'm going to acquire this experience. I can't very well go off on my own and pray that I survive. Staying in a castle all day won't do me much good either." Eragon had begun to understand what she meant by this.

"What happened with Murtagh is something completely different. He has been raised to trust no one, especially with having been around Galbatorix lately he must be even more weary of who he exposes himself to. I'm not trying to defend him." Eragon noticed that Payton had not looked directly at him at all while he was speaking. "I want you to come with me." He turned her shoulder so that she would look at him. "I must go to Helgrind with Roran to find his fiancée, Katrina. I'm sure he won't deny receiving more help."

"I'm not sure." She turned away from him and looked back at the river bringing her feet out of the water slowly.

"You said you wanted experience. So why not?" Eragon was being harsh with her but he did not feel that it was undeserved.

"I don't want your sympathy. What happened with Murtagh was my own stupidity, I believed him without a doubt when I knew that Vanilor did not trust him. I should have listened but I was too stubborn. It's my fault; it is something that I will have to learn from." She got up and ran off. _Please come get me._ Eragon could only watch as Vanilor swooped down and Payton jumped onto his back.

"Let's work on something else." Eragon started a new lesson with the Du Vrangr Gata.

Author Note: I'm trying to make these chapters longer. I realize there wasn't much to this chapter but I do believe it was necessary. If anyone has seen the Eragon movie, tell me what you think of it. I wasn't too interested in it at first but now I'm considering seeing it and I'm not so sure. So if you liked it, loved it, or hated it, just share your opinion so I should know if I should watch it or not. You know what to do now!!


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Eighteen

_Where would you like to go? _Vanilor flew leisurely over the towns of Surda.

_Somewhere I can be alone. I need to do some thinking._

_I know the perfect place._ Vanilor flew Payton to a desolate lake, surrounded by patches of trees. _I can't land right next to it but I will get you as close as I can. Will you contact me when you wish to return?_ Payton nodded and thanked Vanilor before jumping off and making her way through the trees to the lake. She found a shaded spot underneath a tree that leaned out and overlooked the lake. She lay down on her back and stared up into the branches, closing her mind off to Vanilor.

_This world is so vast, so complicated, and somehow I'm supposed to find my place. There are even continents outside of Alagaesia. I could spend my entire life looking for a place to call home, only to end up dead before I had a chance to enjoy it. It doesn't help much to think that there are so few that I can trust in this world. Galbatorix must die. The dragon riders were so revered before, if Galbatorix were dead they could rise above once again and then I wouldn't have to worry about people trying to kill me everywhere I went. Galbatorix must die…_Payton rolled onto her side and watched the lake which was swarming with fish. The lake itself was rather large and it appeared to turn into a river on the other side of the bank.

_I want to go home; I want to forget everything that ever happened here. I wish I could see my family again. _Payton could only imagine the pain her mother must have gone through when she found that her only daughter was missing. _It's useless. I can't get back home, I'm dead to them. I have to make my life here._ Payton sat up with determination.

Feeling something at the edge of her mind, she drew her bow and knocked an arrow while jumping into the tree above her. She felt around with her mind but whatever she had felt earlier had disappeared. She carefully jumped higher into the tree, careful not to shake the branches too much. She scouted the area as best she could. She heard a rustle in the brush below her and she pulled her arrow back ready to release on a moments notice. As the figure stepped out into the open her eyes narrowed and she released the arrow quickly. The man looked up right at her. He stepped aside of the arrow and caught it with his right hand.

"Nice shot." He smiled cockily. "You were the last person I ever expected to see again."

"Go fuck yourself." She growled and jumped down from the tree. "You lied to me. You used me. I'm going to kill you here." Payton drew her sword. Murtagh only shook his head.

"I won't fight you." Murtagh held her arrow out to her, but when she didn't accept it, he let it fall to the ground. He walked over to the lake and stood over it silently.

"I want you dead." Payton followed him, ready for a surprise attack. She tensed as Murtagh turned quickly.

"Join me," was all that he said.

"What? No!" Payton was confused but she was firm with her response.

"I want you to join us. You've got skill and potential. Galbatorix will accept you quite easily. I don't want to harm you but if you don't join us I will be forced to."

"I'd rather die than join you." She growled furiously. _Vanilor. Please come quickly, but stay at a distance and watch for anyone or anything that may be near here. _Payton was extremely weary of him.

"You don't mean it." Murtagh appeared too calm for the situation that confronted him.

"I do, I hate Galbatorix and I hate you." Murtagh stood with his arms crossed obviously choosing his words carefully.

"And you believe that I adore Galbatorix, that I follow his every order with joy and hope? Galbatorix cannot be defeated!" Murtagh's voice was filled with passion. "When Galbatorix dies I can become King of Alagaesia. I can right every wrong he has ever committed and then peace can be found! It does no good to resist him! You will only end up dead like all of the other riders!"

"No! I won't end up dead!" Payton retorted furiously. "Galbatorix will die! If you continue to fight with him you will die too! Galbatorix can be defeated but its people like you that are making it impossible on those who dare oppose him. You are nothing but a coward who sides with whoever they believe to be most powerful!" By this point Payton was full out yelling at Murtagh which did not seem to go over well with him.

"You have not seen what I have seen. You dare call me a coward when there are so many people who oppose everything Galbatorix does and yet act as if nothing is happening and continue on with their lives avoiding trouble at all cost? Those are the real cowards. Every day of my life with Galbatorix is hell and I put up with it! Knowing that eventually he will die! If you would just stop opposing Galbatorix people would not be dieing. And then when the time is right, all wrongs can be righted!"

_I am here._ Vanilor did not like the situation Payton was in at all.

"You're fucking delusional." Payton scoffed, unable to believe how dense Murtagh was. "I'm not wasting any more energy on you." Payton looked at Murtagh with disgust before placing her sword in it's sheathe. She retrieved her arrow on her way out of the clearing.

"I'm not going to let you interfere." His eyes narrowed at her retreating form.

"Whatever." Payton was so furious she felt like pummeling him but knew that it wouldn't accomplish much. _I fucking hate him._

"Farewell, although I suggest you stay hidden, I will not tell Galbatorix of your existence." Murtagh shouted after her in the ancient language.

_Let us just leave here._ As soon as Payton mounted Vanilor, they took off back to Alberon. _I won't be letting you out of my sight next time we leave the castle._ Payton was still seething with anger and refused to answer him. Vanilor landed in the court yard to find that Saphira was already there.

_I'm going back to my room now._ Payton dismounted him and found her way up the stairs. Unsure of which one she wished to avoid more, Eragon or Elva, Payton took the long way to her room. Much to her dismay, Elva was outside of her room once again.

"Argetlam," she smiled cruelly, "if you wish to avoid Eragon I suggest you turn around now."

"For someone who's supposed to be a shield from pain you know exactly what to say to hurt people." Payton growled aware that her anger towards Elva was inappropriate. "I'm sorry, please excuse what I said." Without saying anything else, Elva watched Payton walk around the curve in the hallway. As soon as Payton was out of side Elva smiled.

"If you find my words to bring you only pain, than I just won't tell you that Eragon has just entered your room and is actually looking for you." Elva made her way into her room in search for food.

Payton stopped at her door growling with frustration. She took a deep breath and entered her room. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"You encountered Murtagh earlier?" Eragon was looking out the window into the dusky sky.

"Briefly, I can't say it was too terribly pleasant either." Payton took her socks out of her pocket and set them with her boots.

"Will you be joining him?" Eragon's voice did not come across as disappointed nor angry, simply worried.

"Although we have only known each other for such a short time, I really thought you knew me better than that. Now it only seems as though you are naïve." Payton realized she was coming across maliciously but wasn't in any kind of mood to apologize to him at the moment.

"I do know you; I also know that for the short time that you were near Murtagh the feelings you had for him were only feelings of concern." Eragon moved quickly as Payton swung at him. He ducked behind her and grabbed both of her hands, holding them behind her back.

"Let me go."

"No."

"For someone who's so concerned with me joining Galbatorix you surely aren't making me feel like I'm wanted." Payton immediately regretted her word choice; she knew that Eragon wanted her there. He saw her as a friend and that he was only concerned for her wellbeing and here she was taking it as a personal assault. Eragon released her hands and had begun to make his way toward the door. "Stop." Eragon did not acknowledge her. "Please?" Her tone softened slightly. Eragon had his hand on the doorknob.

"Roran and I will be leaving tomorrow to rescue his fiancé. I suggest you take this time to decide what you want to do." Eragon exited her room.

_I hate him!_ Payton knew it wasn't true; she just couldn't handle all of the events that had occurred lately.

_You need to find a past time that you enjoy. Your life has been hectic since your arrival here. All of the stress you are experiencing is going to add up and overwhelm you._

_I enjoy everything that I do though. I enjoy training, I want to fight Galbatorix. I want Alagaesia to be in peace. I want everyone to be safe._ Payton sat on her bed.

_Should we go back to Ellesmera than?_

_Is that even an option right now?_ Payton laying face down on her bed.

_I'm sure Oromis wouldn't mind._

_Doesn't Galbatorix have another dragon egg?_ She sat up quickly.

_That is what has been said._

_Let's get it then. We can't just wait for it to hatch. We need to retrieve it ourselves._

_That is a terrific idea. We can just go in and ask Galbatorix for it!_ Vanilor was excitably sarcastic.

_It isn't that easy, but it is a good idea. _She felt Vanilor worry as he noticed how serious she was.

_No, it isn't that easy, which is why the Varden have not captured the egg._ Vanilor huffed hoping to put a damper on her idea. Payton left her room and found herself standing in front of Eragon's. She bit her lip and knocked on the door. When she didn't receive a response, she slowly opened the door and looked inside to find it empty.

"Yes?" Eragon snuck up behind her, causing her to jump. She turned around to face him and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm sure you enjoyed that." She could tell Eragon was still in a sore mood from their encounter earlier. Payton stepped out of the doorway and Eragon made his way into his room. "I know what I want to do."

"That was quick." Eragon removed his tunic in an attempt to make Payton uncomfortable, to no avail.

"Well, I came up with a plan. It still needs many revisions but it involves stealing the egg from Galbatorix." Payton idly looked over her nails waiting for Eragon's reaction.

"You think that Murtagh is going to let you waltz in and let you steal the eggs?"

"He won't let me per say but he won't stop me either. He isn't going to tell Galbatorix about me so if I were to be there; he wouldn't really be able to say much."

"Murtagh also told me a slue of the things which turned out to be lies."

"In the ancient language?" She smiled at Eragon. "I'm telling you, this is a lot easier than you think it is. I'm sure everyone who has attempted to steal the dragon eggs were established enemies. I have a whole range of ideas to accomplish this. Sure, it will be dangerous, but so is war!" Payton pleaded with Eragon to at least listen to her idea.

"We can discuss this when I return. It shouldn't take us more than two days as long as everything goes well." Eragon took a deep breath. "You are one of the most stressful people I know." Payton only smiled at him.

"Thank you Eragon-finiarel." Payton hugged Eragon which caused his cheeks to flush.

"I haven't done anything." He was startled by her sudden action.

"You've agreed to at least listen and consider my idea. Now it is just up to me to make it fool proof so that you'll have no choice but to agree to it." Payton released her grip on him and excused herself going back to her room.

_This will require much research._ Vanilor interrupted her joyful prancing.

_Which I am completely capable of. _She lay on her bed, snuggling into the sheets and quickly falling asleep.

Author Note: This chapter isn't as long as I'd have liked it to be but I wanted it out. Anywho, please review! Aaand. I'm only 21 hits away from having 3000!! Which makes me quite a happy kid.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Nineteen

Author Note: Can anyone explain to my how I have more views on chapter four than I do chapter three? This has been baffling me for quite some time and I thought maybe you guys would know…

Eragon, Saphira, and Roran left early in the morning without wasting much time, leaving Payton and Vanilor to their own device. Although her plan had not been accepted yet, Payton knew that she had to get a head start on it, if she wanted to not only prove to Eragon that she could pull it off, but also to prove that it was indeed logical. Payton had enlisted the help of Trianna who taught her the wording for spinning lace.

_What will you be doing with that lace? _Payton sat underneath a tree with Vanilor as she spun a giant heap of lace.

_It's part of one of my plans and in case this one gets rejected, I have two more that I will use for back up._

_You won't be telling me what any of these plans are, will you?_ Vanilor had a bad feeling about some of the plans that were currently surging through Payton's mind but dare not say it.

_No, because you will just lecture me. I will gather everything that I can on each of these plans and show to everyone that they are fool proof!_ Payton swept up her heap of lace and began making her way to her room. _No, you can't come with me._ Payton answered Vanilor's question before he could even pose it. Payton spent the next three hours in her room before returning to the outside world with a bag full of coins.

_The coins are for? _Vanilor watched Payton make her way into the town, unable to follow her.

_The coins are for one of my other plans. I need normal people clothes. _Payton wandered around the street markets until she found a ladies garment shop. The two women who managed the shop immediately bustled toward her bombarding her with questions.

"Can we help you find anything?" A squat woman with auburn hair pulled into a messy bun was the first to sweep upon her but it did not take the other woman long before she joined in.

"We have everything you will ever need here!" She was the exact opposite of the other woman, tall, slender with long golden hair held in a loose braid that ended at her elbows.

"I'm not sure." Payton felt as if she was in a battle and the enemy was continually berating her and she had no hope of victory. "I need casual clothes." The two women held Payton by her elbows leading her to the back of the store where they measured her and ran off. She felt a wave of relief sweep over her, but it did not last for long. The two women came back, with a mound of clothes. Payton never thought she would believe the blonde woman when she said that she would have anything she ever needed there, but it was true. The only way they couldn't have what Payton needed was if they ran out of room to store it.

"Now, are you looking for a dress or a two piece? Where will you be going and what will you be doing?" Looking at their dresses, Payton decided upon a skirt and a blouse.

"I need to be casual but lady-like." The shorter woman pulled out a long white skirt to allow the other woman to examine it.

"I've got it." The taller woman grabbed a pale green tank-top blouse with a white long sleeve top to cover it. They both handed the items to Payton and demanded that she try them on at once. She slipped behind a curtain and slipped each of the clothing items on. She slowly stepped out from behind the curtain to reveal herself to the women.

"It's gorgeous!!" They both squealed at once. The surrounded her and began fiddling with the skirt and blouse to make sure that it lay correctly. They took Payton over to a full-length mirror and she looked at herself from each angle. "Shoes?" Both women looked eager to play dress up even more with Payton.

"No thank you, I have some at home. This will do." She thanked the women for their effort, paid for her items and left. As she walked down the streets, she noticed that she blended unusually well, except for the fact that her hair had grown tremendously and it needed to be put up in some way. Without stopping to see Vanilor, Payton went straight to her room and changed out of her clothes and into her training clothes. _This will be perfect. _Payton was delighted that everything was going her way; she really thought she could pull it off. _Now I just need to become more social and familiar with Alagaesia and Surda's culture._ Payton closed her window looking into it. She took her small dagger off of her bedside table and held it to her hair. She lowered the dagger before slicing her hair off so that it was once again just below her shoulders. She made sure that all of her hair was even and opened the window to let her hair fly away.

"What good does that do?" Arya was in Payton's doorway.

"It's for the birds; they can use it to build nests." Payton crossed her arms. "Do you need something?"

"I was just speaking with Nasuada, she told me to inform you that there will be a celebration in two days, celebrating the splendid job our troops did in the battle."

"I see, thank you." Payton smiled knowing that would be the perfect opportunity to test her social skills. Arya left obviously annoyed that she was sent as a messenger when anybody else could have performed that task.

Payton spent the first half of the next day in King Orrin's library, much to Vanilor's dismay. She read up on the proper etiquette for a lady of the time as well as on proper greetings used within Alagaesia. At noon she left the library to spend time with Vanilor. _What should we do?_ Payton met him in the court yard.

_Fly._ She smiled and mounted Vanilor who immediately took off. They flew high above Surda; the air was still oddly warm.

_I want to jump._ Payton looked over the edge of Vanilor's wings.

_I will catch you. _Payton smiled, unclasped her legs from the saddle, and stood up. She allowed herself to fall off the side, her body parallel to the ground with her arms and legs spread apart. The wind rushed past her as she watched the sky, but she didn't feel like she was falling. Vanilor was continuously circling her, drifting lower so that he could get under her. Payton turned her body over and when Vanilor was directly under her, she pulled her arms together and landed back into the saddle.

_I liked that. _She reattached her legs to the saddle and they continued to fly around for the remainder of the day. When they returned to the courtyard, Payton noticed that Eragon and Saphira had not returned yet, it was only the end of the second day, but Payton hoped that everything was going well for them. Payton wasn't much for caring about which route she took to go back to her room, so without thought she went right. She sighed with relief upon seeing that Elva was not outside of her room and passed her room quietly only to hear the door creak open as soon as she had gotten passed it.

"Hello," Elva's face held a wide smile.

"Hi," Payton smiled weakly as she turned around.

"Goodnight," Elva closed the door. Payton was utterly confused, but did not mind in the least. She didn't like the things that came out of Elva's mouth. They were either foreboding, or brought up bad topics.

_How do you think all of this will turn out?_ Payton entered her room and found her way to her bed.

_This being? The battle against Galbatorix?_ _I don't know, I think we can win, but at the same time there are many undetermined factors. We don't know what Galbatorix is thinking, he could come to Surda tomorrow and try to kill you and then kill Eragon upon his arrival. We don't know the extent to Galbatorix's power either-_

_I get it, you don't have to continue, I was kinda hoping for something along the lines of 'gee Payton I think you'll get the egg and then a new rider will be born and you will all prevail over Galbatorix,' but you've made it fairliy obvious to me that you don't intend to make me feel better about this at all. _Vanilor chuckled at Payton's mockery of him.

_Go to bed. _Payton scoffed at him, changed into her pajamas and fell asleep, the excitement of the following day's celebration on her mind.

She woke the next morning and went to the courtyard to find Vanilor, but did not see him there. _Hunting?_ Payton made her way outside and sat underneath a tree.

_Just finished, _Vanilor landed next to her in an attempt to surprise her but failed.

_I want to train with my sword. _Payton looked around to find nobody training.

_Why don't you ask Arya? She will probably be your best bet._

_I said I wanted to train, not get my ass kicked._ Payton hugged her knees to her chest and watched the sky above them. She thought about her home and what her mom was probably doing right then.

_What will you do if you get the chance to return home? Will you go?_ Payton narrowed her eyes at Vanilor.

_Thank you for listening to my thoughts, _she huffed, _but I don't know. I don't have a home here but I can't just up and leave. _She felt her eyes water but refused to let herself cry. _I won't be going home, so I see no need to make a choice and besides, if I do make a choice, then I'll have my heart set on that choice and I may only end up disappointed. I don't care where I am. I will simply have to do my best and be happy with it. _She stood up.

_If you leave, it does not affect only you. _Vanilor looked at her wearily.Payton hugged him.

_I'm going inside; I need to get ready for tonight. _She smiled deviously.

_What getting ready is needed?_ Despite their unique connection, Vanilor never really understood some of the things Payton did.

_I need to figure out what I want to wear and I need to clean myself. Besides, Eragon said it should only take him two days but I don't think he did the calculations right, he should be back tonight. _Payton bathed herself and stood in her towel overlooking all of her clothes. She wasn't particularly fond of the clothes from this time but hadn't worn the clothes she had come here in because she looked so out of place. _Maybe I need to look out of place tonight._ The one thing she was glad about was that when she had come here, she had her favorite top. She pulled her jean shorts on and her tank top. She combined the ancient language in such a way that it would heat her hair and dry it as well as straighten it. She put her gray henley on over her tank top. Payton conveyed the image of herself to Vanilor. _What do you think?_ But Payton received no response. _Excuse you, yes, it is different but it looks nice doesn't it?_

_It looks very nice, and yes it looks very different._ Payton began to doubt her decision on wearing it. _No, keep it; there is nothing wrong with being different._ She smiled happily.

_Thanks. _She lay down on her bed, waiting for the celebration to start and not wanting to be the first person there. She started to drift off to sleep when she heard a knock at her door. She ran to the door, unsure of who it was. "Yes?" She opened it to find Nasuada standing there.

"I was wondering if you were going to join us for the celebration, it will start soon." The encounter was quite awkward considering that they had never spoken more than a few words to each other and she really only knew Nasuada through Eragon.

"Of course," Payton grabbed her shoes and threw them on before following Nasuada down the stairs.

"Do you mind if I ask where you got those clothes?" It became apparent that Nasuada did not know of her background.

"They are common where I'm from," was all that Payton was going to say for the moment.

"I see," Nasuada wasn't unkind with her words, simply curious. In the dining hall, round tables of various sizes were established everywhere as well as one long table at the front. Nasuada showed Payton to her seat at the head table and began the ceremony.

_How are you here before me?_ Payton's seat was next to Vanilor at the end.

_Unlike you, I don't have to get ready._ Payton stuck her tongue at him. Nasuada gave a long speech, followed by King Orrin and Arya but Payton continually zoned out so she wasn't exactly sure of what was going on.

_Why am I even here? _She looked to Vanilor for the answer.

_Because you are a symbol of hope._ Payton made an odd face at his response.

_But I wasn't in the war. I didn't participate at all; I doubt half of these people even know who I am._ Payton made up her mind to leave the celebration as soon as she could. As all of the speeches finally ended, food was brought out and everyone ate happily. Payton looked around and noticed that on the other end of the table there were two empty seats where she assumed Eragon and Roran were to sit. She saw some of the villagers from Carvahall at a round table not too far away. She also recognized Du Vrangr Gata at a table to the far right. As soon as all of the courses were over, Payton stood up in hopes of escaping but she was stopped by one of the members of Du Vrangr Gata.

"Come over here with us!" The boy she recognized as Herald took her hand and led her over to the table and sat her down in his chair and pulled up another one. "Get her a drink!" Payton's eyes widened as Herald signaled to his friend and he brought a tankard full of mead over. "I don't know where you're from, but this is how we have fun." One of the females at the table had pulled out a small pouch. "Here's how you play, the dealer has a bag of stones and everyone will go around the table and say that they either have or haven't done something. You have to say true or false and whoever guesses wrong takes a drink and receives a stone. The stones don't do anything except keep track of how wrong you are." Herald laughed as the dealer started with the first statement.

"True or false, I once had the chance to touch a dragon egg, but it didn't choose me." Herald looked at Payton who had no idea.

"True, her father is a herald so she was chosen specially to see one of Galbatorix's eggs." Herald whispered to Payton and saved her from drinking. After the next statement, Payton looked at Herald who only shrugged his shoulders and they both got it wrong. Payton brought the mead to her lips, whispered a few words to detect poisons and when it was clear, she took a sip nearly choking on it at which point Herald laughed.

"I've never drank before." Payton said between coughs.

"Nobody needs to know, just fake it." Payton got the feeling that he was awfully good at this game.

_Perhaps you should take a break._ Vanilor had been watching Payton from a distance.

_Agreed._ Payton excused herself from the table and made her way slowly over to Vanilor.

_I'm glad you took it so slowly on your first time drinking._ Payton stuck her tongue out at Vanilor. Vanilor set Payton on his back and made his way out of the side entrance which led them outside the castle.

"I wish I could see into the future." Payton gazed up at the sky in a daze.

_The future is not set in stone, so it is theoretically impossible. _Payton dismounted Vanilor clumsily and lay on the ground.

"There is fortune telling though. How can they do that?"

"It's magic, but vague." Eragon walked toward Payton and sat down next to her.

"Can you tell my fortune?" Payton sat up and crossed her legs.

"No, but Angela can." Eragon looked at her oddly. "Drink a bit too much." Payton looked at him bitterly.

"No, I stopped myself." Vanilor huffed. "Well, Vanilor suggested that I take a break." She put her chin in her hands and looked away. Eragon lay back and rested his head on his arms.

"Would you care to tell me about these ideas that you have for capturing the last egg?" Eragon hoped he could trick her into telling him.

"Well one of them was-" but Payton stopped. "No, no I wouldn't. Because I don't have any of my proof with me and you won't believe me." She smiled defiantly at him. "I'd rather," she stopped in mid-sentence. "I don't know, but I'm not telling you."

"You should go to bed, it's late." Eragon stood up and offered her his hand. She took it reluctantly and allowed him to lead her to her room. On the way, they encountered Elva, but before she could say anything Angela came out and had begun lecturing Eragon.

"What happened to helping Elva?" She pointed to the little girl.

"Tomorrow." Payton had become drowsy and slumped slightly, forcing Eragon to pick her up. Angela motioned for Elva to return to the room and the little girl closed the door frustrated that she had been stopped on several occasions from saying what she wanted to say. Eragon lay Payton down on her bed and looked over to see several clothing articles hung up. Eragon didn't think much of the first three which were simply an outfit consisting of a skirt and two tops but the third thing he didn't even consider an outfit. It was made purely of lace and didn't look like it could be used for anything. He walked back over to Payton and whispered goodnight when he heard something.

"You can kiss her goodnight," Elva was poking her head in the doorway but scurried away as soon as she had confirmed that Eragon had heard her. Eragon shook his head and left.

Author Note: Meh. This took way too long to write IMO. I don't like this chapter much either. There is too much stuff that just isn't happening in it. Sorry it took so long to get this out. Please review! And I'd like everyone to know that this is officially and unofficially the longest story I've ever written, when compared by chapter, not word count.


	21. Chapter Twenty

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter 20

_Why do people drink that shit?_ Payton hadn't even opened her eyes yet and her head was pounding.

_I was wondering the same thing last night._ Vanilor mocked her. Payton only vaguely remembered the events of last night but didn't know any details. _Are you going to tell us your 'ingenious ideas' today? _His tone was still mocking her but she knew he was curious.

_You'll just have to wait. _Payton beamed sitting up slowly. _I have to find Eragon first. _She didn't bother changing and went to his room. He opened the door, pulling his tunic on and laughed when he saw Payton.

"Feeling okay?"

"Fantastic," Payton smiled mockingly at him. "Did you want to hear my ideas or not?"

"Actually, I'm quite eager to hear what you've come up with. I'm sure it will be hysterical." Payton lead Eragon to her room and told him to sit on her bed. She pulled a changing screen from the closet and set it up in front of her outfits.

"I have three ideas; my first idea is to become one of his slaves." Eragon's face faltered.

"You think that Galbatorix will allow a slave to go near the last dragon egg?" Payton could tell simply by Eragon's tone that he didn't think she was sane. She threw her clothes in a pile next to her and dressed herself. Bending over she pulled her hair into a ponytail and pulled her bangs out on each side of her face. She emerged from behind the curtain and spun. "Is this your proof?" Payton's face faltered to give him a look as though he were stupid. She looked up at the ceiling; Eragon could tell her eyes were about to water. "I didn't mean to insult you." Eragon stood up and took a step forward as if he were going to comfort her. Payton fell to her knees and Eragon kneeled down next to her, holding her shoulders.

"King Galbatorix," Payton began her 'speech' slowly, taking deep gasps of breath in between, "I've discovered that I am incapable of bearing children," Eragon suddenly became confused, "as a woman, my future with a family is my only guarantee in life." She paused, looking into Eragon's eyes with tears falling down her face. "Please! My life has no meaning, I wish to serve the empire, make me a slave! Give me a purpose!" She continued to weep for a couple of seconds before smiling and wiping her eyes. "How was it?" Eragon could not fully comprehend what he had just witnessed.

"What was that?"

"That was acting! Marvelous, brilliant acting!" She heard Vanilor laughing in her head.

"You are going to use that to become one of Galbatorix's slaves?"

"Yes, and from there, I will work my way up to the head slave! I'll be the best damn slave you've ever seen and then when Galbatorix is so distracted with everything else, I will take the dragon egg and run away." Payton summarized her plan, a scenic victory displaying in her head.

"What are your other ideas?" Eragon was hoping for something less risky.

"Hmmm, well I don't think the other ideas are so good." She twiddled her fingers together. "One of them involved…" but she began to mumble and Eragon couldn't hear her.

"Involved what?"

"Presenting myself to Galbatorix as a possible wife." She mumbled it ever so softly so that Eragon had to strain himself to hear it. "I don't really like that one though…" She glanced off to the side.

"That's a terrible idea what about the other one?" Payton's cheeks blushed a slight red.

"I don't have anymore ideas."

"You said you had three."

"Not anymore." She continued to look to the side.

"It was really bad, wasn't it?" Eragon had a feeling it had something to do with the last costume.

"Kinda, it involved getting a group of girls." Payton started but dared not continue.

"A group of girls?" Eragon did not like the sound of it at all.

"Kind of like adult entertainment but I don't really want to do that so…" Payton trailed off and noticed Eragon's cheeks turn bright red.

"I don't really like your idea but it isn't bad." Eragon leaned his back against the bed. "There isn't any guarantee that Murtagh won't expose you to Galbatorix and it's really dangerous with too many unpredictable circumstances."

"Well it's better than going up to Galbatorix, 'hey I'm taking this egg now!'" Payton felt herself becoming annoyed with Eragon. "It's better than anything you've come up with! We can't just let that egg sit there and wait for it to hatch. If we want to win this war we have to get that egg!"

"And if we want to win this war we need you." Eragon turned it around getting just as frustrated with her as she had with him.

_You're both right. _Saphira interrupted. _Vanilor and I have both discussed this, if we want to win we need that egg but Payton we still need you. Both components are essential to our victory, we need a safer plan._ Payton and Eragon looked at each other disappointed.

"How long will it take to come up with a really good plan though? It took the Varden how long to come up with a plan good enough just to steal one egg. Just let me try it, please?" Payton pleaded. "I won't wear my necklace so you can scry me at any time. I really have put a lot of thought into this; I'm not just making stuff up. While I'm there I'll get to know the castle like the back of my hand so if I need to escape at a moments notice I'll be able to."

"Tell me everything you know about this plan and we will all look at it, revise it, and look over it again until it's absolutely perfect. Then we can decide if we should go through with it or not." Eragon looked at the floor. _It's a long shot, but if we all look into it, we might be able to do it._ Eragon voiced his concerns with Saphira while Payton retrieved several scrolls of parchment on which she had written all of her ideas concerning her plan. "You weren't lying," Eragon sifted through all of the ideas, starting a new sheet of paper on where he thought it needed improvements. For the rest of the morning hours, they worked on the plan looking at where it needed revisions and what kinds of revisions were needed.

"What do you think?" Payton watched as Eragon sat up.

"It needs one more person."

"What do you mean?"

"I wanted to look over it myself before going to him, but Jeod actually helped steal Saphira's egg. He should have some sort of knowledge that can help us. We can get his opinion on what he thinks about this and if he's willing to help." Payton nodded.

"Do you really think this will work?" Payton looked hopeful.

"It could or it couldn't. There are a lot of factors we can't control which makes it riskier but I can't say for sure." Eragon gathered all of the papers together and put them in an understandable order. "Jeod should be here in the castle, he helped get supplies to the Varden when they were in the Beor Mountains." In order to find Jeod, they had to first find Nasuada. Nasuada told them that his room was surprisingly close to his, simply up the stairs one more level and it would be the first door on the right. They followed her directions and knocked on his door.

"Eragon!" Jeod answered the door, smiling when he realized who it was. "How have you been?"

"I've been busy, and yourself?"

"Life has been hectic, and who have you brought with you?" Jeod glanced over at Payton.

"This is Payton; she is the rider of Vanilor." Jeod's expression lifted.

"I've heard much about you! Did you stop by just to chat or did you need anything?"

"We have an idea that we would like your help with." Eragon presented the papers to Jeod, whose expression became more serious.

"Please, come inside." Jeod's wife gave them a soft smile before returning to folding the laundry. Jeod shuffled through the papers examining each one of them carefully, and then shuffled through them all again as though he had to be exactly sure of each and every detail. Eragon and Payton continually exchanged looks, unsure of exactly what they should do. After a long moment of silence, Jeod began, "this is perhaps the oddest, and yet most ingenious plan I have ever seen to steal the egg." He brought his thumb to his mouth as he stared at the papers. "It's so simple, but complicated."

"Do you think it will work?" Eragon wasn't sure which answer he was hoping for. He was sure that he didn't want the egg to stay in Galbatorix's hands but at the same time he knew that if they followed through with it, Payton would be playing with fire.

"It's hard to say," Jeod shook his head, "it could turn out very well, or very badly."

"Do you think I could do it though?" Payton pleaded, hoping Jeod would agree that it was indeed a good idea.

"You would be going?" Jeod's expression became troubled.

"Yes, I'm the most capable, and Galbatorix has no knowledge of my existence. I could blend in as just another servant." Jeod shook his head.

"If you went to Galbatorix with a statement like this he would probably feel the need to check-" Jeod paused and rethought the idea. "Actually," he smiled with a glint in his eyes, "if you plan on following through, and I mean you have to follow through one hundred percent, you must do it immediately. Galbatorix is so distracted with the war right now he will barely have time to meet with you." Jeod shifted through the papers in his hands. "Eragon, I will come see you tomorrow. I want to look through these plans and make sure that they will be the most beneficial. When I am finished I will go to your room and we can discuss exactly what must happen." Eragon and Payton nodded and Jeod bid them farewell for the night. Payton was giddy the entire way back to her room, but Eragon did not seem to share the same excitement. She stopped as they reached their rooms.

"What is your problem?" Payton finally got frustrated by his silence and he looked up, his train of thought broken.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought you would be glad that we're finally getting the last egg from Galbatorix but you're just moping. An entire race will have the possibility of surviving, all of Alagaesia could be freed but you don't seem to care." Payton was exasperated by him.

"It's not that I don't care." Eragon shook his head, "you wouldn't understand." He went into his room and closed the door. Payton felt like screaming in frustration decided against it. She went into her room and begun creating a pack that would resemble what most people had used in their travels.

_What are you doing? _Vanilor's tone was not only of concern but frustration.

_I'm leaving tomorrow after I hear what Jeod has to say, whether Eragon likes it or not! I don't know what his problem is but sometimes you have to take risks to get anywhere in life! _

_And you believe he has not taken any risks to get where he is today? His uncle is dead because of his actions, Brom is dead as well. Eragon had risked many things with every decision he has made._

_I didn't mean it like that. _Payton paused what she was doing. _He isn't the only one that has to take risks with their life and he needs to realize it. I'm doing what I feel is necessary and he just needs to accept it. Jeod thought it was a good plan and it is a good plan. Eragon just needs to give me the chance to prove it._ She emptied out the contents of her backpack so that she could sort through what she would need to bring with her. She set all of the items that had been in her backpack aside, because she knew that if Galbatorix decided to check what she was bringing with her and found them that she would be in for a world of trouble. She packed only what was necessary and put everything back into her backpack. _What will you do while I'm gone?_ Payton stood up and looked out the window.

_I'm not sure, I may return to Oromis so that I can finish my training. _Payton left her room, running to the staircase and down to the courtyard. Finding Vanilor there she hugged him.

_I'm going to miss you._ She sobbed into Vanilor's scales.

_There is no need, I am always with you. _Vanilor rubbed his nose on Payton's gedwey ignasia causing it to glow softly.

_It won't be the same though._ Vanilor lifted his wing and Payton settled down underneath it without hesitation. Payton knew she was going to miss Vanilor always interrupting her thoughts and giving her advice even when she didn't want it. Payton was stubborn and often acted as though she didn't need it, but the truth was she knew she wouldn't have made it thus far without him. She scooted closer to him and quickly fell asleep.

Payton awoke the next morning due to a small breeze that she felt encircling her. She opened her eyes to see Vanilor shuffling his wings, obviously unable to fall back asleep. _It's okay, I'm awake now, you can get up._ Payton stood up and hugged Vanilor around his neck who let out a puff of air, blowing Payton's hair back. _I love you._ She kissed his neck and skipped up the stairs and ran to her room.

_I love you too. _Vanilor took off into the air in search of food as he normally did in the mornings. _You will definitely be leaving today?_

_Yes, I just have to confirm everything with Jeod._ Payton made sure that everything was packed and sat in her room, hoping she could intercept Jeod before Eragon did. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps and she poked her head out of the door. Jeod stopped his hand just before knocking on Eragon's door and looked over to her. "Come in here," Payton waved her hand, ushering him to enter her room quietly.

"Is Eragon in there?" He entered her room whispering as she had.

"No, he was being stubborn yesterday so I've decided to continue with this regardless of what he thinks." Jeod nodded, understanding Eragon's thoughts a bit more than she had. "Have you found any problems with it?" They discusses every aspect of the plan in detail, since Payton would not be able to have the papers with her but would need to rely solely on her memory of what she would be doing. Jeod had not found many problems with the plan Payton and Eragon had come up with, simply suggestions that he thought would help it flow smoother than it would have otherwise. They reviewed the plan several times to ensure that Payton had it all set. "I should be going soon."

"Yes, time is of the essence." Jeod rolled each of the papers up and held them in his hands. "Be sure that you do not have anything, anything at all that would cause Galbatorix to be even slightly suspicious of you." Jeod gave her one last piece of advice before he stood up, preparing to leave her room.

"I won't," she assured him, standing up as well, "I'll travel near Tierm by dragon and at that point I will change my clothes and leave everything suspicious with Vanilor. I will then get a horse and be on my way to Uru'baen." Payton beamed happily.

"Good luck," Jeod nodded to her confidently and she made her way to Vanilor.

_Let's go!_ Payton mounted Vanilor excitedly.

_You sure you are ready? _Vanilor eyed the girl on his back.

_Yes, I've taken care of everything._ She strapped her legs down and began on what would turn out to be her most difficult journey since she had arrived in Alagaesia.

Author Note: I liked this chapter better than the last and I hope you enjoyed it as well. Please review! Constructive Criticism is LOVED! If I have made any mistakes at all please feel free to point them out to me.


	22. Chapter Twenty One

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Twenty One

Author Note: I've noticed that the entire plot that Payton has set up appears to be slightly confusing and some things in it don't quite seem right but you have to trust me on this it's going to advance and anything that seems out of place will fall right in. Here is where I rant about my life: I started track today 2/20/07. Track started earlier but I hadn't planned on doing it this year and yet I find myself once again at track. So updates may come a little slower because now I have a job and track, but since I have bullshit classes at school, that time is devoted to planning out the story so that once I get home, I can write away! With my bruised and marred hands. ( And now you can read the chapter.

As Vanilor flew above the clouds, ensuring that nobody would see them, Payton lay close to him, not only to stay warm but because she knew that would be their last flight for quite some time.

Eragon woke up to a knocking at his door. He clambered out of bed half awake and answered it to find Jeod with a bundle of papers in his arms. "I've come to return these to you, but it looks like I'm not the only one who has something for you." Jeod pointed to the doorknob as the sound of metal clinked against the door. Resting on the doorknob was Payton's necklace with a note tied to it. "She left this morning, saying that you were being stubborn." Eragon's face became stern.

"She left without even hearing what you had to say?"

"No, I came to see you but she intercepted me so I told her everything, we went over it quite a few times and then she was off. I figured I'd wait until I knew she was gone to give these to you, they may give you a bit of reassurance." Jeod handed the papers over to Eragon who set them on his bedside table.

"Why didn't you come get me immediately?" Eragon gripped the table with his hands, he knew Jeod did the best he could, but he just couldn't believe that Payton had left like that.

"Saphira is older than Vanilor, I'm sure she could make it in time." Jeod excused himself from the room, giving Eragon space to ponder his statement.

_Do you wish to go?_ Saphira felt Eragon's sudden urge to just take off after her.

_No, this was her decision; I simply want to go over the plans again. _Even though Eragon said it, he didn't whole-heartedly feel it. Yes, he did want to go and to tell her how stupid she was for acting so suddenly, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. She wasn't going to listen unless he found some kind of terrible flaw in their plan. Even with wanting her to stay, he knew she couldn't just stay, they needed the egg, it was as simple as that and she was doing what she had to do in order to get it. Eragon unrolled each of the pieces of parchment and began sifting through all of the information to ensure that nothing was left out.

Payton and Vanilor encountered no problems on their way to Teirm. Vanilor grew immensely even in the short time that they were in Surda, improving his flying ability; noticing this improvement, he anxiously waited for the day when he could breathe fire. Vanilor made sure that he would stay over the spine, close enough so that they wouldn't miss Teirm, but at the same time far enough away no one would spot them.

_What will you do once we reach Teirm?_ Payton knew Vanilor had worried about her being on such a dangerous mission without having anybody that she could rely on.

_First I have to go into Teirm, I'm going to need gloves and then I have to buy a horse. _Vanilor looked over the horizon and could see the center of Teirm vaguely.

_We should make it within the hour; remember what Jeod said about not being able to get in or out of Teirm before dark._

_I should be fine, I don't need anything specific, just something that will hide my palm as well as matches my outfit. The only thing I'm worried about is a horse, the horse stables should be close to the entrance for traveling purposes, but I don't know much about horses and I just hope I pick a decent one._

_Please be careful, do not trust anyone in your travels and while you are in Galbatorix's presence. _Payton hugged Vanilor.

_I promise, I plan on traveling by myself and I will conduct this entire mission without the aid of others. _Vanilor felt slightly reassured by this gesture. Not too long later, Vanilor landed within a clearing in the spine and Payton dismounted. She sifted through the saddlebags, taking out her pack as well as her clothing. She changed quickly and held Vanilor for what would be the last time for a long time. _I love you._

_I love you too, be weary of everyone you meet. From now on you can only trust yourself. If you ever need me you know how to reach me._ Payton waved good-bye to Vanilor and made her way through the spine and toward Teirm.

Noticing a group of travelers, she blended in behind them, holding her pack carefully she made her way into Teirm and immediately went in search of an accessories shop. She made sure to notice where the horse stables were, and they were near the gates as Jeod had said they would be. She found a quaint accessory shop and made her way inside. The owner of the shop assisted her in finding a pair of gloves that would match as well as fit. She politely paid for them and made her way toward the stables. There were three separate stables near the east entrance and Payton made her way through all three and viewed all of the horses. After visiting all three, Payton made her way back to the first one, not so much because it had the best horses but simply for the fact that the one of the other stables had not even acknowledged her and the other acknowledged her, but more so as a thing to stare at than a customer.

"Hello miss," An older man stepped out from around a horse and tipped his hat to Payton. "Decided to come back did ya? See something you liked?"

"Yes sir, I need a horse," Payton felt stupid asking for a horse when she was in a stable; it was like calling Pizza Hut and saying that you wanted a pizza.

"What kind of distance will you be covering and in what amount of time do you plan on covering it?"

"I will be traveling to Uru'baen, I don't have a specific time frame but I'd like to get there as soon as possible." Payton hoped she wasn't proving herself ignorant as she spoke.

"I see, I have a mare who is capable of traveling quickly but not for extended periods of time. I also have a stallion who is much more capable, although it depends on your finances."

"I'll take the stallion, I also need full supplies for it." The man nodded and gathered all of the supplies. Payton paid him and left Teirm. It was getting late, but Payton knew she would have to get as far as she could before she could no longer travel. Payton mounted the stallion and began her voyage onward when she heard a woman scream and point toward the sky. She looked up and smiled as she saw Vanilor. He had flown around Teirm and was south bound.

_Good luck._ Payton smiled, nudging the stallion forward. She made her way along the Woadark River until it veered to the south, from there she continued eastward and made her way south. She encountered trouble when crossing over the river that lay just north of Uru'baen but they managed to find a shallow area and cross safely. It took Payton and the stallion four days to finally arrive in Uru'baen, dusk was nearing and Payton knew she would have to make it to the castle and seek an audience with Galbatorix before nightfall. Galbatorix's castle was easily seen even from the outskirts of the city. Payton remembered Oromis' fairth of Uru'baen before Galbatorix's rule and found that she preferred the fairth to the scene before her. Payton made her way to Galbatorix's castle and found a nearby stable and sold her horse as well as the equipment. Taking a deep breath she held her pack in her hands and made her way to the castle.

_This is it; this is the start of a new life, a temporary but vastly different life. _Payton had spent her time on her stallion imaging what kind of person Galbatorix was, she knew he was evil but to what level? Was he kind to his subjects? Or was he cruel to everyone around him, not that he had any reason to be nice, it didn't matter if his subjects liked him or not, they couldn't do anything about it no matter their opinion of him. Payton tucked her remaining coins in her pack and headed toward the front gates. As she neared the gate, two guards lowered their spears in front of the door.

"What do you need?" The guard on the left spat at her.

"I would like to request an audience with King Galbatorix." Payton held her head high, even though she would need to suck up to Galbatorix; she found no need to grovel at the feet of petty guards.

"And what makes you think he'll agree to see you?" The other guard sneered at her.

"King Galbatorix is busy at the moment," a woman clad in armor stepped through the gate. "Perhaps I can assist you with whatever you need." She forced the guards spears upward and motioned Payton forward. Payton followed her inside the castle and watched the floor, building up her tears.

"I'd like to serve King Galbatorix!" Payton clutched her pack to her chest and looked straight at the woman who only returned Payton's stare perplexedly. Payton felt her sensing her intentions. Payton forced herself to feel pitiful and yet hopeful at the same time.

"The only people who dare say that are either insane, or have other intentions." The woman stared at Payton momentarily. "Although you seem to be neither." The woman turned around swiftly and continued to lead Payton down the corridor.

"I-" Payton began but the woman interrupted her.

"I don't want to hear your excuses, your reasoning, whatever it is you have to say," she eyed Payton from over her shoulder, "save it for the King. I think I can get you a special audience." She led Payton down what seemed like a maze of corridors. The castle was decorated beautifully, but it could not compare to Ellesmera. While Ellesmera was beautiful and inviting, Galbatorix's castle seemed almost omniscient.

_It fits him perfectly, _thought Payton sardonically.

"Stay here, I will go to Galbatorix and if he agrees to see you I will return and bring you to him. If not than you're simply out of luck and I suggest you return to where you came from and quickly." The woman left Payton standing in front of two massive double doors; two guards stood in front of the doors and eyed Payton. She felt disgust run through her body. She turned her face away, resisting the urge to yell at them, she could feel her entire body beginning to shiver with nervousness.

_Remember everything Jeod said, every acting lesson you'd ever attended. This is where that experience really pays off. _She clutched her pack even closer to her chest, her heart nearly skipping a beat when she heard the double doors open.

"You have five minutes." Payton could feel her heart pounding faster as well as hear it in her ears. The nervousness did not fade upon seeing Galbatorix on his throne with the most sinister of smiles upon his face.

"Welcome to Uru'baen! What business do you have here?" Payton could feel the tears flooding the ducts in her eyes but it wasn't acting. She found that she was absolutely terrified of this man. After a moment of silence Galbatorix spoke again, "your impudence is wasting my time." He tapped his fingers impatiently on his throne.

"I'm sorry my liege," Payton bowed respectfully before raising herself again. "I come here today to ask that you give meaning to my life." She held her head high, with dignity, but tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Your life has meaning, you are a woman, and have you not a husband and a family?" Payton allowed the tears to free-fall from her face.

"No sire, it has been proven to me that my body is incapable of bearing children." Payton lowered her head in shame; she could still feel her heart pulsing rapidly. "My father finds me a disgrace, my mother disappointed. I can think of no way to be of better use this body that I have been given than to serve my kingdom!" Her voice grew in strength and as though it was the embodiment of determination.

"And what makes you think that you are competent enough to work for your kingdom if you are not even competent enough to bare children as every woman is? Furthermore, have your parents no plans for your future?" Shame and humiliation flashed in Payton's eyes, which only seemed to please Galbatorix more.

"I fled my home after over hearing an exchange of words between my father and mother. My only future, if there is even that much is either alone or with a husband who will only be ashamed of me!" Payton's voice rose, but she had begun to doubt her words. "As for my competence, I have more determination to prove myself than any other woman in all of Alagaesia." Payton lowered her voice but kept it firm.

"Very well," Galbatorix's lips twisted into a unique smile, one that Payton did not trust one bit. "I will give you a chance to prove your worthiness." Galbatorix waved his hand and Payton took it as a sign that she should leave his chambers at once.

"Thank you my liege," Payton bowed again and turned to leave but Galbatorix simply tsk'ed.

"Come here wench." Payton's heart began racing again and she turned around and made her way over to Galbatorix. "Remove your right glove," Galbatorix held his left hand out. Payton's façade was one of nervousness and fear, which Galbatorix appeared to feast upon but inside, she overflowing with joy, it took all that she had to control it. Payton removed her right glove and extended her hand, palm up. She took Galbatorix's fingers in hers and kissed his knuckles respectfully. Galbatorix's eyes never left her right hand the entire time. He then waved his hand to dismiss her and she left, as she approached the doors, but they opened before she could reach them. She looked up into Murtagh's eyes and curtsied slightly.

"Excuse me sire," she smiled to him before continuing out the doors. Payton waited patiently for the woman who returned after only a moment.

"King Galbatorix says that I am to take you to your room, but only after you receive due punishment for your arrogance in his presence." Payton gasped at first before hiding her surprise.

"I understand," Payton just hoped that nobody was scrying her at that particular moment.

Author Note: Just so it's clear, I pretty much LOVE this chapter. Murtagh OWNED! Heh. I do hope you review. I'm not so sure if I should be as proud of this chapter as I am at the moment.


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Twenty-Two

Author Note: I haaaaaaaaate work. I've wasted good quality writing time, standing around, walking around, and being annoyed by really stupid people. Ugh. Let's top this off by I have track tomorrow, and the next day Friday, once I get off track, I go to work, then on Saturday there's a track time trial, and then I get to go on a voyage to help my little sister. Then Sunday I'll be at work again. Oh the joy of life. Oh the joy. On the bright side, I have 4000 hits on my story now. Oh so exciting. Thank you to everyone who looked at my story. That would be you.

LOOK AT ME: This chapter of the fic has some 'mature content.' No, it's not a lemon, a lime nothing like that. This is simply a warning to you, it is nothing graphic but I felt the need to warn.

Payton had survived Galbatorix's kingdom for nearly a week now. She learned the hard way that Galbatorix commanded his minions through fear, which he had beat into Payton for her 'insolence,' on their first encounter. She had tried to lay low ever since she had arrived and it relieved her to know that she wasn't Galbatorix's only new toy. Fortunately for her, several other girls had arrived at his palace the same day she had. Payton often found herself doing menial things, mainly cleaning, occasionally she found herself setting the tables for the dining hall. This had slowed down her plan's progress somewhat as she hadn't the chance to discover any secret passageways that may exist in the castle, she had begun to doubt if any even existed at all. Payton had managed to make friends with Nanami, a girl whose village had been plumaged by a group of Urgals. The few survivors of the attack had been sent to Galbatorix as slaves. Although Nanami hadn't been there for more than two months, she had learned all of the tricks of cleaning and escaping guards as well as Galbatorix's eye. All of which she had begun to tutor Payton in.

During Payton's short stay, she had little contact with Galbatorix, but she always managed to look her best each day. She knew that although she had to behave and lay low, she also had to be noticed so that she could be chosen for special tasks and work her way up to being trusted, all while appearing loyal to Galbatorix. Every slave in the castle had spent their day inside, cleaning up the dining hall and preparing dinner, Galbatorix had decided on having another large feast although he'd just had one the second day she had been there. Every nobleman and noblewoman that lived in Galbatorix's palace attended and it was always an overdramatic exaggerated festivity, at least that was what Payton had seen it as. Just like before, Payton had somehow been voted into being the servant that had to be nearest Galbatorix, which also meant she was the first to be punished for any mistake that was made. Some of the other female slaves said that it was only appropriate because she was one of the newest slaves but Payton knew better. She had overheard some of them talking about her. It didn't bother Payton too much simply for the fact that anything they could say about her was untrue.

Payton smiled sarcastically as she carried the massive plate of food toward Galbatorix's end of the table, she knew the other girls had placed more food than was necessary on it in hopes that Payton would drop it. Nanami had offered to assist Payton in carrying it, but she assured her that she could do it on her own. Each plate was carried to the table then in unison, every girl curtsied politely, turned, and made their way back to the kitchen. Payton's cheeks flushed lightly as she returned. She didn't have a problem serving Galbatorix, but she had done her best to avoid Murtagh, always making sure that she was busy or hidden by others when he passed. Despite his oath not to tell Galbatorix about her, she was still weary of him. The ancient language prevented him from directly telling Galbatorix about her but she was sure that he could find his way around it if he felt the need. She walked the length of the dining room gracefully until she reached the kitchen area, although she couldn't help but feel as though she were being watched. She looked over her shoulder to see that Galbatorix was indeed staring at her and was not even discrete about it. Nanami pulled Payton into the kitchen quickly.

"Why was he staring at you?" Both girls peaked out of the doorway and into the dining hall where Galbatorix had returned the company before him.

"I don't know! I'm sure that if something were wrong he would have said something." Payton wasn't sure if she was glad that he was staring or terrified. She examined her right palm carefully. _He can't see it. _She flexed her hand and reopened it to be sure.

"Come on," Nanami pulled on Payton's arm. "We have to get desert ready." They prepped all of the deserts and lined up, first to retrieve the dirty dishes. Payton became nervous as they filed out. She hoped that Galbatorix didn't suddenly get the urge to search her mind. Eragon had demonstrated with her how to hide bits of information with the help of Vanilor, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to do it with Vanilor being so far away. She took deep breaths and completed her task as calmly as she possibly could. Once again, as she walked away she noticed Galbatorix's eyes on her. She looked over her shoulder again to notice him speaking with Murtagh, who was seated directly to his right and another one of his wizards who sat on his left. "He was doing it again." Payton could tell Nanami was scared for her.

"I'll be fine," Payton smiled, in an attempt to reassure her.

"Promise me you'll be careful." Nanami looked at Payton with pleading eyes.

"I promise," Payton smiled, but inside she really was worried about what this could possibly mean. All of the servants took their place in line and delivered the deserts, Payton receiving the same attention as she had previously. Payton hid behind the doorframe and looked out to see Galbatorix laughing, sending chills down not only her spine, but from the looks of it, others as well. Murtagh was no longer seated at the table and was making his way out of the dining hall.

"Try not to think about it, I'm sure it's nothing." Nanami smiled softly to Payton and they began the tedious task of cleaning the kitchen and waiting for Galbatorix's court to finish their final course so that they could clean the dining hall. Despite how mundane much of the work they did was Nanami and Payton often found themselves laughing at and with each other.

Nanami was different from most of the girls Galbatorix had enslaved; she didn't feel the need to gossip and she was friendly to everyone she met. Nanami was often naïve though; she believed that Galbatorix had saved her from the Urgals and that she was lucky to be alive. It was a good ideology to adopt, if she had planned on living optimistically and at the same time a bad ideology, because it would never get her anywhere. Payton wanted to rescue her and show her something more, but had the feeling that Nanami wouldn't see it as rescuing. It was not long before the court had finished their desert and retreated to their rooms. Payton found herself hating Galbatorix's court and the dinners he threw. It seemed as though everyone was intoxicated and those who lingered were too friendly for Payton's liking. Two men had come up to both her and Nanami when they were bent over and tried to sneak a grab. Payton forced herself to refrain from killing them. Putting on one of her fakest smiles ever, she flirted with them and led them to the door, closing it swiftly as soon as they were out of the dining hall. Geeno, the man who kept track of all of the slaves, was walking around as though he were inspecting what everyone was doing. Geeno was a stuck up noble, who always carried himself with an air of greatness.

"Excuse me miss," Geeno waved his hand before him as he looked at Payton.

"Payton sire," she curtsied politely.

"Ah, yes," his eyes made an upward flicker as though he didn't care if her name had been Gilbert. "Come with me," Payton set down the plates she had in her hand and followed Geeno, looking back at Nanami uncertainly. "The King has requested your presence," he paused haughtily, "in his chambers." Payton's heart caught in her chest and she nearly felt as though she could die right there. Geeno simply looked back at her with disgust. The entire way to the King's chambers Payton had hoped for someone, anyone to save her.

_I wanted special tasks, but not this._ Hundreds of different scenarios had crossed through Payton's mind, each of them very bad. She opened her hand once again to ensure that her gedwey ignasia was indeed hidden. Reassured that it was, she returned her hand to her side. Her vision became blurred as she saw two enormous doors in front of them.

"Now why the long face? I do believe it was you who wanted to _serve your kingdom_." Payton had never wished more to kill someone than at that moment. Geeno rapped his knuckles on the door before turning to leave. Galbatorix opened the doors himself and allowed Payton to make her way inside. Had the situation before her not been so absolutely horrid and terrifying, Payton would have found Galbatorix's chambers to be absolutely magnificent. The layout of the room and entire set up looked as though it had been done by only the best. Galbatorix grabbed Payton's hand and led her further into the center of the room.

"I noticed you at the feast earlier." Payton was unsure if Galbatorix smiled the way he did because he thought it was charming, or because he wanted to distill fear in her.

"Thank you sire," Payton could feel her throat becoming dry.

"The pleasure was all mine, although I never got to catch your name." Galbatorix continually led her further into the room.

"My name is of no importance your majesty, for I'm sure you have much more important subjects that occupy your mind." Galbatorix looked at her seemingly angrily.

"It is my decision as to whether or not your name should occupy my brain," he was far less gentle with her arm and pulled her closer to himself as well as two steps closer to his bed. "I wish to know the name of every maiden that I bed." Payton tried to hide how terrified she was, but to no avail. It was very obvious to her at this point that Galbatorix truly did thrive upon the fear of others. She took a deep breath and pushed away all of her fears.

_He can force me to do whatever he wants, but I'll be damned if I'll let him force me to be afraid. _Payton forced herself to smile. "I am honored," Galbatorix's expression visibly faltered. She reached her free hand up and pulled the hair tie from her hair, letting it touch down to her shoulders softly. Payton was screaming at herself mentally when she heard Galbatorix chuckle, forcing her entire body to tremble. She could no longer hide her fear when Galbatorix pushed her backward, forcing her to fall to the bed. Her eyes shot open as Galbatorix laid himself upon her, kissing her and not at all gently. She could feel her eyes burning from the tears that continuously flow from her eyes and down her cheeks until they disappeared into her hair. She closed her eyes until a sudden banging of the door flinging open caught her attention. Galbatorix stood up, glaring at the man who had burst in. A soldier was cowering in fear, his body visibly shaking.

"My liege, I apologize for my sudden interruption." Payton could tell through her blurred vision that it was taking all that he could to keep from turning and running. "There seems to have been some kind of commotion in the Far East Wing." Galbatorix grabbed his sword, which Payton had not noticed before and turned to Payton.

"I suggest you leave," he growled. Galbatorix did not wait for a response from Payton before storming off to the site of the incident. Payton stood up shakily and made her way as quickly as she could out of the room.

She volunteered for this mission assuming that she could take any physical danger she was put in front of. This was something she never would have anticipated, no matter how much thought she had put into it. She had never thought herself sheltered, but she had never had to deal with any sort of rape or molestation in her life before. She continually felt a gagging feeling in her throat as if she were going to vomit. She only made it through three corridors before she felt herself being pushed to the wall. Her legs shook violently and she felt herself sliding to the ground. Through blurred tears she could see a man with dark hair kneeling down with her.

"How ignorant could you possibly be?" She immediately recognized the voice as Murtagh's. Payton felt the tears fall across her face with full force. Payton felt her body giving up and she began to fall to the right. Murtagh caught her and held her face to look at him. "I want you gone in the morning. I don't know what you're trying to do but whatever it is, it's impossible and it's ignorant. The only thing you will accomplish is your death." Payton opened her mouth to speak but found that all of her senses were failing her. She vaguely saw Murtagh look to his right before her body collapsed, completely incapable of retaining consciousness.

Author Note: I hope this chapter was okay, I cut it shorter than I wanted to, not only because it's time for bed and I thought you might want it, but also because if I continued it, it would have to be much longer than it is at the moment. Please review. I'm oh so close to getting a new record for the most reviews I've ever had on one story. Please give me any opinions/thoughts you have on everything as well. It is GREATLY appreciated. If you have questions feel free to ask. If you think I've left anything out feel free to point that out as well.


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Twenty-Three

Author Note: In regards to my "mature content" warning. I know that it may or may not have been appropriate to warn you but it is a sensitive subject to those who have experienced rape themselves or have had it happen to them so I put it up there just to be safe. Just a little note on that. On the lighter side 2 more reviews and I will officially have a new record for me to have the most reviews ever on one of my stories. So that means you should review, please? Also, approximately 6,000 more words and this will be the longest story I have ever written.

"You need to come back," Payton tried to open her eyes, but to no avail. Vanilor's image appeared in front of her. "It is too dangerous, you must return to Ellesmera. We must finish our training then we can return to Uru'baen and retrieve the egg."

"No, I've come too far. I have to get it before another rider emerges." She reached her arms out in an attempt to reach Vanilor.

"Don't be stubborn, there isn't much time left."

"Just a little bit longer." Payton pleaded.

"There is no time, wake up." Payton could feel Vanilor tugging at her mind.

"No, no, no." She extended her arms further.

"Get up. You're leaving." Payton lowered her arms. _Fuck fuck fuck._ She recognized that voice immediately. She opened her mind to feel the area around her. "Get up." Murtagh shook her shoulders but Payton let her body fall back down. Payton stirred slightly, rolling to the left just before extending her right arm. Payton closed her eyes tight as she recoiled her arm. Murtagh sat back, missing the end of the bed and falling off. "Wench!" Payton sat up as quickly as she could and made her way to the door. "Waise heill." Payton felt the doorknob reach her hand at the same time Murtagh's hand reached her shoulder. Murtagh wheeled her around and held her against the door.

"Let me go." She hissed at him.

"No, you're leaving. I'm going to take you to the slave quarters, you are to gather your belongings and you will be on your way." Payton could see how angry he was.

"No, I won't be leaving. I have business to attend to and no one is going to stop me." She looked at him matter as if she were daring him to try something.

"Really? Because I do believe that I know who you are and could stop you easily if I felt the need. Oh, I should also mention that there's a spy in the Varden. Congratulations, Galbatorix already knows you're here. There's also a spy within the slaves and he's just narrowing it down until he founds out just which slave is the rider." Payton looked at him with disbelief.

"You're lying." Payton spit in his face, which only caused him to increase his grip on her.

"No, I'm not lying. I don't know how you've managed to hide your gedwey ignasia but Galbatorix will find you soon. Leave now, I can't save your ass every time you get in trouble." Murtagh was fuming by this point. He released his grip on Payton and grabbed a nearby rag to wipe his face.

"Who is the spy?" Payton took several steps toward Murtagh.

"I don't know, word was sent that there was a girl on her way. The transmission was cut short so no image could be sent and no time frame for your arrival was sent either." He braced the desk that was set up in his room with various scrolls scattered across it. His veins rippled in his arm as he gripped it.

"If he knew I was coming then why didn't he just examine my mind when I got here?"

"Yes, that would be a great idea. He could just admit to all of Alagaesia that the Varden has yet another rider. That would only cause shifts in alliances. People would begin to feel hope that the world could change and they would join the Varden. You don't have any idea how much you've impacted Alagaesia do you?" Murtagh released his grip on the desk and looked at Payton with disdain.

"No, no I don't because ever since I came here I've had a hard time keeping up myself and yet somehow I'm supposed know the answer to everyone's problems and how to solve everything." Payton threw her hands up as though she were giving up.

"Ever since you came here?" Murtagh scoffed at her. "Life isn't easy. There are decisions that you don't want to make, but you have to. You have to consider every aspect of your decision. I know more than you think I know. Have you thought about Nanami? What will happen to her if Galbatorix finds out who you are? Do you think everything will continue on as normal? You obviously haven't thought very hard about this." Murtagh's fist clenched and he raised them above his head, walking around his room in an attempt to calm himself. "You will be leaving."

"No." Payton placed her hands on her hips and stood there firmly.

"You will be leaving." He emphasized each word. "Someone saw us yesterday. Galbatorix will without doubt be informed and become suspicious."

"Where is the last egg?" Murtagh turned to look at Payton.

"If that is what you're after I suggest you leave here and return to wherever you came from."

"I can never go home." Payton adopted the tone Murtagh had used previously. "I suggest you tell me everything you know about the remaining egg and it's security so that I can leave here as soon as possible." Murtagh had placed his hands back on the desk, obviously very frustrated by her. Payton replicated the gesture and looked directly into his eyes.

"No."

"Yes."

"I'm telling you no and that is it. If you are not gone by tomorrow I will tell Galbatorix everything I know about you. I will include that you don't have any magic that would keep him from scrying you." Murtagh never once broke the stare between himself and Payton.

"There won't be any need. I'll be gone by tomorrow. Tonight I'll get the egg myself and you won't have to worry about me anymore." Payton turned on her heels and headed for the door.

"You won't be leaving this room until you are leaving Uru'baen for good." Payton stood at the door, with her hand on the knob. Murtagh stood behind her with his foot keeping the door from opening. "You can't do it. Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?" Both of them looked at the door as they heard two consequent knocks on the door. Murtagh motioned for Payton to stand behind the door. He stepped to the right and opened it slightly.

"Pardon me, but Galbatorix has requested your presence." She bowed politely to Murtagh and left. He closed the door silently and rested his head against the doorframe. He sighed and went over to his armoire searching for more appropriate clothes to wear. He selected a red tunic and changed quickly, Payton whirled around quickly at the sudden exposure. Murtagh attached his belt with his sword sheathe and made his way to the door. His eyes narrowed on Payton.

"Leave this room and I will hunt you down." She knew he was serious but couldn't believe that he actually thought he could control her so easily. He left the room and Payton sat on his bed. Looking around the room, she found that it wasn't much different from some of the other rooms she had seen. Murtagh appeared to own few personal items and Galbatorix didn't seem to care to give him very many luxuries. She knew that curiosity had killed the cat but she couldn't help herself. She sat down at Murtagh's desk and picked up the scroll closest to her.

_Come back to Ellesmera immediately._ Payton heard Vanilor's voice once again.

_I cant. I have something that I must do here. _

_You must return. You vowed that you would rely upon nobody while you were in Uru'baen and yet you find yourself relying upon the enemy._

_I'm not relying upon him._ Payton huffed. _I'm simply making use of his loose tongue._ Payton found the first scroll uninteresting as it only contained a vague history of Alagaesia.

_You are going to find yourself in a position in which you cannot escape. Do as he says and leave. If you think that I have been foolish enough to trust you to complete this task on your own then you are sadly mistaken. I've been watching you. I saw what happened last night and had it not been for him your current condition would be much worse. You will return immediately._ Payton growled.

_Why don't you have any faith in me? I know what I'm doing. I can handle myself! _

No, you cannot handle yourself. Perhaps in your world it is all so easy but here it is much different. If you will not return I will come get you. I'm sure Murtagh would be more than willing to assist me with this.

_I'll return but I won't do it immediately. Give me a few more days if that. I just want to gather a little more information. I don't care what damage I'm in. I don't care what may happen to me._ Payton blocked her mind entirely. It was true, she was indeed being stubborn, but not without reason. She knew Murtagh was right; she could not just leave Nanami. She hadn't thought about the impact it would have on those she left behind. She didn't know if Nanami would agree to leave Galbatorix's company either. Payton's eyes welled up with tears. _What if Nanami is the spy?_ Payton shook her head and calmed herself. _I'm going to have to take this one step at a time._

Becoming bored with the scrolls, she stood up and headed over to Murtagh's armoire. _What an idiot, you never leave the enemy in a position to gather information on you._ She chuckled deviously and began sifting to find any hidden items. She found nothing in his armoire and made her way under his bed. She felt something brush against the tips of her fingers. She scooted closer and managed to push the items to the side. Feeling that it was a stack of objects, she reached for the bottom one and drug it toward her, the others being pulled with it. She sat up and pulled them the rest of the way out. _Fairths?_

She sensed someone coming toward the room and grabbed the five templates that lay in front of her and hid behind Murtagh's bed. She turned her head to see Murtagh enter the room and she set the templates down and kneeled by the bed. Murtagh didn't even look at her but simply sat on his bed holding his face in his hands. Payton dared not speak. Looking down at the fairth, she saw a portrayal of a young boy and his mother. Payton pushed the fairths under the bed quickly. She couldn't say how, but she felt as though she shouldn't see them. Murtagh still hadn't moved, he simply sat on the bed glaring at the floor as though it had been responsible for everything that had happened in his life. She stood up and walked out from behind the bed.

"What's going on?" Payton held parts of her skirt in her fists.

"Nothing." Murtagh did not even look up at her. "You will be going today." Murtagh stood up and grabbed Payton's arm.

"No, I will leave when I am ready." She pulled her arm from his grasp.

"You will leave today or you won't be leaving at all." Payton noticed something in Murtagh's eyes that she hadn't seen before.

"Why?" She took a step backward hesitantly.

"Galbatorix is going to examine every slave in this entire castle. You have to leave immediately."

"What about Nanami? I can't leave her!"

"She will be fine as long as she knows nothing. Stay here, I'm going to gather your belongings. Thorn and I will take you as far away as we can. I suggest you contact someone that can meet us somewhere." Murtagh left the room.

_Vanilor?_ Payton reached out with her mind praying that she would be able to contact him.

_You will be leaving now?_

_Yes._ She suddenly felt disappointed in herself.

There is no need to feel that way, you did your best. You attempted something that few others would have even considered.

_Where are you?_ Payton didn't feel like being encouraged at the moment.

Ellesmera. I will come get you.

_No, Murtagh is going to take me out of Uru'baen._

_He will not be coming here._ Vanilor hissed.

_That was not even a consideration. He has offered to take me as far as he can under the agreement that someone can meet us there. _Payton hated to rely upon others so much.

We will meet you just north of Bullridge. We will not allow Murtagh to venture any closer to Ellesmera.

_Understood._ Payton cut off the communication and awaited Murtagh's arrival. The fairths continually plagued her thoughts and it took all of her self-restraint to keep from looking at them. Murtagh returned shortly and Payton just looked at him in a daze. _There are secret passageways! _Murtagh ignored the blank look on Payton's face and handed her belongings to her. "Thanks."

"We're leaving now, Thorn is waiting for us." It took Payton a second before she got out of her daze and nodded. "Put this cloak on." Murtagh handed a dark brown cloak to her. They escaped the palace quickly, Murtagh marched Payton alongside himself roughly as though she were a captive. Thorn waited impatiently in the back garden. Payton became oddly nervous as they mounted Thorn. Murtagh sat Payton in front of her on the saddle to make sure that she would not fall off.

Payton watched the castle as they started upward feeling an eerie sadness overcoming her. Payton gasped in surprise as she saw Nanami in the garden watching them leave. Payton looked at Murtagh and handed her belongings over to him quickly before jumping off of Thorn and speeding toward the ground. Her original confidence began to fade as she found that she was falling at a quicker rate than she had originally anticipated. She struggled with her skirt and tried to slow herself down. She saw a flash of red and Murtagh was suddenly by her side. He grabbed her arm and yanked her closer to him. Every millisecond seemed to drag out to Payton. They neared the ground, only gaining momentum. Murtagh had his back to the ground and Payton was resting on his chest as best she could in midair. Payton's eyes locked onto Murtagh's briefly before she heard a scream and looked to her left. Nanami, the entire reason she had jumped had fallen over, looking into the air with terror. With a sudden jerk, Payton saw a giant red claw behind Murtagh. Thorn had caught them. Within seconds they had returned to the air and were quickly leaving Uru'baen.

"You are the stupidest woman I know." Murtagh lay in Thorn's claw making no attempt to move.

_He just risked his life for me. Why would he do that? _Her face had gotten that blank look again. Murtagh didn't seem to care, he only held onto her to make sure that she would not be attempting any type of escape any time soon. Payton's face blushed furiously as she noticed the awkward position they were in. Murtagh quickly released her after noticing the look on her face and Thorn moved them to the saddle.

Despite the initial mishap, the rest of their ride went smoothly. Payton barely spoke aside from informing Murtagh that they should meet Vanilor just north of Bullridge. _Thorn flies quickly, but he seems to be lacking on the grace aspect. _Payton noticed as they incurred yet another bumpy patch of air. _Are you near Bullridge? _Payton searched for Vanilor, having difficulty finding him.

_Not quite, it will take us longer to arrive than you. Find somewhere safe to create a camp and stay there. We have been watching you so don't worry about being alone with him._ Vanilor cut the conversation short and blocked Payton from his mind. She sighed quietly.

_He's been acting so strange lately. _Payton shook it from her thoughts. She knew he worried about her quite a bit and she hadn't been in the best situations as of late, his reasons for worrying were valid. "We are to make our own camp north of Bullridge, somewhere safe, they will meet us there." Murtagh nodded.

"We won't be getting there tonight. We will have to make a camp east of the river." Payton nodded. She was unsure if Vanilor had accommodated the distance and time it would take to travel in his plan, but since she couldn't contact him she didn't have much of a choice. If they were not going to make it past Bullridge tonight, she doubted Vanilor would make it either. It was not long before dusk set in and they made camp. Payton set up a small bed but became frustrated with the damned skirt she was wearing. She ruffled it furiously only to receive looks from Murtagh who she sneered. He shook his head and prodded the campfire with a spare stick he had. Payton sat on her small bed and shivered. "The fire can only do so much good when you're that far away." Murtagh looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Don't be so damn stubborn." Murtagh walked over to her and grabbed the bottom of the sheet she was laying on and pulled it closer to the fire. She crossed her arms and looked away from him. He sighed and sat back down. She was intent on hating him and had proven it many times.

"Why are you doing this?" She looked into the fire, her eyes lined with moisture.

"Doing what?" He was caught off guard by her words.

"Taking me away from Galbatorix. You're the enemy, don't you want me to be caught?" Murtagh looked at Payton, almost disbelieving.

"Not if it means that you will have to endure what I did." He shook his head and stared at the ground in front of him. "I've already told you that I don't enjoy serving Galbatorix."

"He won't just die." Payton's eyes locked onto Murtagh.

"He has to eventually."

"No, he's immortal. You can't honestly say that you think Galbatorix would come out and confess it to you do you?" It was Payton's turn to look at Murtagh in disbelief. He refused to believe it though.

"How did you manage to cover your gedwey ignasia?" Payton smiled and revealed her right palm. The mark shone dully.

"Make up." She pulled a small bottle of skin colored material out of her pocket.

"Make up?" Murtagh crawled closer to see what it was. Payton emptied a small portion of it onto her palm and she smeared it over the segments of the gedwey ignasia that were visible.

"It's fairly common where I come from." She recapped the small vial and returned it to her pocket.

"And where do you come from?" Payton laughed softly and shook her head.

"Why would I tell you? Whether you want to or not, Galbatorix will make you reveal everything you know about me." She returned her gaze to the ground but suddenly moved to face Murtagh. "This is because of him isn't it? This is all a set up!" She stood up, anger flashing in her eyes.

"What?" Murtagh stood up afraid of what she might attempt.

"We are going to reach Vanilor and Galbatorix will simply capture us as well." Payton clenched her fists; she could feel her fingernails digging into her palms.

"It's nothing like that." Murtagh took a step forward pleadingly.

"Why else would Galbatorix tell you that he was going to examine all of the slaves' minds?" Payton backed away warily. Murtagh simply stared at her.

"I," he paused barely believing himself, "don't know."

"Bullshit." She took a step forward, her anger overcoming her fear. "I fucking hate you." Her voice was full of venom. The look on Murtagh's face confused Payton more than anything. It was intended to hurt his feelings, but she hadn't imagined that it would hurt him that bad.

"Believe what you want." Murtagh's language changed to the ancient language. "I don't know why he told me, if there is indeed an ambush than I will fight, but not against you." Before Payton could say anything Murtagh turned away and went to bed. Payton wasn't sure if she should be mad or upset. She lay down on her makeshift bed, scooting it closer to the fire to keep warm. Moisture filled her eyes as she watched the fire blaze on before falling asleep.

Author Note: I do believe this may be my longest chapter yet. I can't say it's my favorite, but it is indeed long. Hum hum hum, all of you may be happy to know. The track time trial was pushed up to today so I did that. Tomorrow I will be on my voyage to help my little sister and then Monday and Tuesday I do not have school. It's not so much that I don't have it, more so that I'm not going. It's a long story; no I'm not being a bad kid. I just choose to do better things with my time than to sit and stare at a wall.

I have a special note especially for the people that continue to read and read and read and yet fail to review. Puhleeeease review. I've been so close to having a new record for a while and it seems as though I'm doomed to forever only have 60 reviews on one story. And for those of you who have my story on alert or favorites. Why oh why can you not review? I can see you! I know who you are!

I have an added thing that may assist you in wanting to review. I have also brought it up to a few select peoples thus far. I originally intended this as an Eragon x OC fic, OC being Payton. It seems that I have tripped on a twig because Payton has become more involved with Murtagh than I originally intended. This fic could now go either way. So PLEASE review and give me your opinion. If you would prefer that it continue on as Eragon x OC than say so. If you don't care say so as well. I know how I want the story to go either way so it's really not a decision I want to make, but one that I want to put into your hands. So… review!!


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Twenty-Four

Author Note: It's going to be Murtagh x Payton. Saphirarox --- Please don't hunt me down and try to kill me. I really wanted to do this story both ways but I know I can't. I'm really uneasy about this decision so when this story is actually finished. I might just reupload Oops! And then have two versions going where one is Eragon x Payton and the other is Murtagh x Payton. So please, no death threats.

Payton heard shuffling around her and had attempted to ignore it for a good five minutes before she reluctantly opened her eyes and sat up. The fire looked as though it had dissipated long ago and Murtagh was busily packing up his bedroll. Payton yawned and stretched before packing her belongings and sliding her cloak on over her head.

"You don't have to wear that anymore." Murtagh didn't even face her when he spoke.

"I know, but it gets cold in the air sometimes." Without another word they both mounted Thorn and took off. _Will I get to see you today? _Payton reached her mind out to find Vanilor.

_Yes, you will most likely make it their first though. We encountered some difficulty in the Hadarac desert._

_We?_ Murtagh watched Payton silently as her expression changed throughout her conversation with Vanilor.

_Eragon and Saphira have decided to accompany me._ Payton's expression brightened. It felt like forever since she'd seen Eragon. She reached for her neck to touch her necklace even though she knew it wasn't there.

_I'll see you shortly._ Payton severed the connection and looked back to Murtagh. "Vanilor says we'll probably make it there before he does so I guess we can just set up another camp."

"Right. Once they arrive I'll be leaving." Murtagh's expression was dreary.

"I understand." Payton turned back around to him. "Thank you for doing this." She spoke hesitantly, "and sorry for hitting you the other day." Her cheeks flushed a pale pink. Murtagh only nodded in response. Payton turned to face forward and smiled happily. She was finally going back to the closest thing she had to a home. She started humming softly. She sang softly to herself enjoying every moment that passed. Her smile quickly faded as Thorn entered into a nosedive. Her eyes went wide and she gripped onto the saddle with both of her hands, her knuckles turning white from the pressure. As they neared the ground, Thorn pulled up and shot back into the sky. As they leveled out safely, Murtagh began laughing. "What the hell was that?" Payton turned around glared at Murtagh.

"You seemed to be off in your own little world so we thought we would give you a little treat." Murtagh's eyes went wide as he saw Payton ready to hit him. He jumped off of the saddle and slid backward until he got a grip on one of Thorn's spikes.

"You're an asshole!" Payton's anger quickly dissipated as she saw Murtagh lose his grip and begin falling. Thorn quickly jerked his body around and caught Murtagh in his claw. Payton climbed out of the saddle and onto Thorn's shoulder to see Murtagh who was unconscious.

_Get back in the saddle._ An unfamiliar voice resounded in her head.

_Thorn?_ Payton obeyed and they quickly landed in a field underneath them. Thorn's landing was rough since he only had one front claw to work with. As soon as she deemed it safe, Payton jumped off of Thorn and over to Murtagh who was cringing in pain. "What's happening to him?" Payton looked back at Thorn for an answer.

_You._ Thorn lowered his body over Payton and released a puff of smoke. _We should have turned you into Galbatorix when we had the chance._ He opened his jaw as though he were going to snap Payton's body in half.

"Stop it now." Payton had been so enveloped with fear that she had not noticed Murtagh getting up slowly. "This was entirely my decision." Sweat beaded Murtagh's forehead and he was breathing heavy.

"What was that?" Murtagh walked past her and situated himself on top of Thorn, cringing occasionally.

"Get on. We must go." After Payton just stared at him in disbelief he lost his patience. "Get on now." Payton sighed and took her place on top of Thorn.

"Does this mean that you won't tell me?" She turned around to face him.

"It doesn't matter if you know or not." Murtagh looked away, Payton continued to stare at him.

"Tell me." Murtagh sighed dejectedly.

"That was Galbatorix." Payton didn't quite understand what he meant. "He was attacking me mentally." Murtagh groaned as he felt another sharp jab at his stomach. "I think he's pretty much figured everything out. He knows where we're going and what we are doing. I need to get you there as quickly as possible." Murtagh clutched his chest in pain. Thorn slowed down. "No, you have to keep going. We've made it this far we can't turn back now." Murtagh urged Thorn onward.

"Come here." Payton brought her right hand to Murtagh's face. "Let me in." But Murtagh only shook his head.

"I'm fine."

"No, share your pain with me." Payton tried to force her way into his mind but he continually blocked her out.

"Stop it." Murtagh struggled to sustain consciousness. "I can do it on my own." Payton caught Murtagh as he fell limp.

_Hold onto him. I will get there as quickly as I can._ Thorn surged forward. Payton could feel Thorn's blood pumping rapidly even through the saddle. She slipped Murtagh's feet into the braces carefully and leaned his body against her. It was at that time that she endured the longest minutes of her life. Murtagh occasionally groaned in pain, she could feel his heart racing constantly. Every so often she remembered to check his pulse to ensure that he was indeed still alive. After fifteen minutes passed, Payton felt Murtagh's pulse slow down drastically. Fortunately it steadied itself to a normal pace and Payton sighed in relief. Scenarios went through her head of what would have happened if his heart had stopped entirely. She blushed profusely at the thought of giving him CPR. Payton looked away and saw Bullridge passing quickly underneath them. Children that had been playing outside all paused to watch Thorn fly over them, which made Payton smile happily.

_The dragon riders will emerge once again._ She looked down at Murtagh and sighed. _I don't want to have to fight you._ She bowed her head next to his and rested it in the nook between his head and shoulder. Payton stayed in that position for quite some time. _What will happen when we depart? How are we supposed to defeat Galbatorix? If nobody else has been able to do it so how could I? But if Eragon is on our side._ She smiled hopefully.

_We will defeat Galbatorix. Have no doubt in that. _Vanilor interrupted Payton's thoughts. _You still have much to learn from Oromis and Eragon has learned much as well._

_I believe that. I'll be glad when Galbatorix is finally gone._

_With Galbatorix, Murtagh will go as well._ Payton nodded her head.

_I know. Do you know when you will arrive?_ Payton changed the topic quickly.

_We've been held up again, the weather this way is not so good. _Payton looked out into the horizon, but did not see any bad weather clouds in sight.

_Oh, does this mean you may not arrive until late?_ She looked toward the sun; she estimated that it was just a little bit past mid-day.

_Perhaps, although I suspect it shouldn't take us too much longer than it will you._

_I'll see you then._ She shifted her grip on Murtagh before closing her mind once again. Communicating at such a distance tired Payton greatly. At such a distance it felt as though every time they communicated it tested their limits. Thorn continued to travel at a high velocity. By the time they landed, Murtagh had not yet awakened, but he had stirred occasionally. Payton had chosen a hilly area with a few trees. She laid Murtagh under a tree and gathered some water, which she cupped and let fall into his mouth. She knew Murtagh's unconscious state was all due to her and it didn't help that Thorn was furious with her. As soon as she sat against the tree, fatigue overcame her. It seemed as though everything that had been happening lately had all come down upon her at once.

_Don't sleep. _Payton felt something tugging at her mind and body but she shook it off and continued her sleep. _Get up._ She shrugged it off again. _NOW!_ She looked up to see Murtagh looking at her wide-eyed. He grabbed her arm and yanked her toward him. Looking back she saw an urgal wielding an axe. She picked up a small stone and shouted brisingr as she threw it at him. It made contact right between his eyes and continued through his skull, obviously propelled by magic. Payton nearly lost her balance as Murtagh collapsed, still lacking energy. Payton drew his sword from its sheath and held it toward the other Urgals that threatened to come forward. She closed her eyes, searching her mind as quickly as she could. She felt outward to find the Urgals energy. She carefully extracted each of their energy, causing them to drop dead only feet in front of her. She quickly bent down next to Murtagh and transferred the energy into him.

"Do you feel any better?" She slowly helped Murtagh to a standing position.

"Aye, a bit." He looked around to see if there were any more Urgals coming to attack them.

"Did Galbatorix send them?" Payton handed Murtagh's sword back to him. Smoke rose from Thorn's nostrils during the transaction.

"It's hard to say, they could have just had a nearby camp or Galbatorix could have sent them." Murtagh shook his head. "Come here." Murtagh removed a necklace from underneath his tunic and took Payton's hand in his, wrapping the necklace around both of their wrists. "This should-" but before Murtagh could finish his sentence Payton was on the ground. She frantically tried to tear her arm away from Murtagh. "Stop it. He'll be able to see us."

"No! No! You have to get it off!" She jerked her hand back, which forced Murtagh to fall. He sat up quickly and restrained her arms against the ground.

"No! Take my energy." Murtagh stuttered for only a second before lowering his guard around his head. Payton immediately found shelter in his mind, but both of their energies were draining rapidly. "How is this happening?" Murtagh cringed. Thorn quickly covered them with his wing and began giving Murtagh all the energy he could afford.

"Eragon has been scrying me for Vanilor." Payton took gasping breaths of air.

"Tell him to stop, tell him you're safe. We can't have both groups scrying, it's taking too much of our energy."

_Vanilor! _Payton fervently searched for him.

_What is going on?_ There was apparent alarm in his voice. _I can't see you._

_Galbatorix was scrying me. You have to stop. Murtagh is sharing his necklace with me so that he can't see. I don't have much more energy._

_It's a trap! You have to make him stop. He's doing this on purpose so that we can't see you._ Vanilor was emanating with hatred and anger.

_Please, you have to trust him! _The mental contact began to tire Payton more. _Please._ Her voice faded until she could no longer speak with him. She faintly heard Vanilor roaring and the force that was extracting energy from her body suddenly vanished. Payton took in several deep breaths as though a huge weight had been lifted off of her body but she could still feel a dull draining of her energy. Murtagh stood warily and lifted Payton from the ground. Payton's body throbbed continually.

"We need to move further north, I don't want to risk Galbatorix finding us." Murtagh mounted Thorn with Payton in his arms. Thorn took several steps forward before lifting off, his speed slowed drastically. They continued on until they were just north of the bend in the Ramr River and landed within a small meadow covered by trees.

"Why do you care if I live?" Payton looked up at Murtagh, exhaustion apparent in her eyes. Murtagh laughed softly.

"What do you think would happen to me if I returned a dead girl to Eragon?" He dismounted Thorn and lay Payton down next to the small lake and sat beside her.

_I can feel your presence; we will be there soon._ Vanilor kept the message as short as possible to save what little energy Payton had left. She had not entirely comprehended the message but simply rolled onto her side and curled into the fetal position. Murtagh lay on his back and relaxed but Thorn was still on guard as usual. Payton opened her eyes to look at Murtagh and curiosity overcame her.

"What will happen when I'm gone?" Murtagh looked over to her and shrugged blankly.

"I don't know." He looked back up to the sky uncertainly.

_Don't lie to her. You know damn well what will happen to you._ Thorn intervened and stared at the two of them. Payton sat up and stared at Murtagh.

"What's going to happen?" Payton had a hard time concealing her concern.

"Why does it matter to you? It's like you said, you're the enemy." Murtagh didn't bother to move.

"It matters because you've done a lot for me." She was becoming easily frustrated by him.

"I haven't done much." Murtagh turned his gaze to the lake, avoiding Payton.

"Why do you insist on sheltering me? Just tell me what's going to happen." The three of them looked around them quickly as they were surrounded.

"Galbatorix will do nothing to him, we will make sure of it." A man with a short chestnut colored beard with pointed ears stepped forward from the group that surrounded them. Vanilor landed next to Payton and roared threateningly

"What is this?" Payton concentrated her gaze on Vanilor.

_We won't allow him to return to Galbatorix._ But Payton cut him off before he could say anymore.

"No!" She stood up defiantly, forcing Murtagh up.

_It must be done. _Vanilor let out a puff of smoke but Thorn stepped in front of them, all of the elves raised their bows toward him.

"No." She refused to move.

"Let them do what they want." Murtagh laughed bitterly.

"Fate plays a role in every aspect of our life. If this is my fate than so be it." With one deft movement of his wrist the necklace fell to the ground and he took a step forward. Eragon jumped off of Saphira, who had been circling above the clearing for lack of space. He landed between Vanilor and Payton and threw her necklace to her. She caught it and returned it to it's designated spot around her neck. Murtagh opened his mouth to speak but was suddenly caught off guard. Payton stood in front of him with her arms crossed.

"So, you want to attack him, let's see it."

"Child, you are being foolish." The elder elf stepped forward, pleading with her.

"No, you are being foolish. His fate is to fight me on the battlefield. Let him go, I will train and I will prove that we do not have to defeat Galbatorix through trickery." She stared the old man down.

"You can be the one who explains this to Queen Islanzadi." The elf commanded his troops to lower their bows and begin their return journey to Ellesmera. Payton turned to Murtagh.

"Thank you." He whispered to her so that only she could here.

"It's the least I could do, if it weren't for you I'd probably be dead somewhere in Uru'baen." They nodded respectfully to each other and Murtagh was the first to leave. _You never told me what would happen to you upon your return._ Payton sighed and mounted Vanilor, Saphira landed in the clearing so that Eragon could do the same.

Author Note: This seems like it was the slowest chapter I've ever written. I hope you liked it! I'm not so sure what to think of it. It's a tad bit short too but I feel like I'm writing weird today so I decided to stop for now. Please review.


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Twenty-Five

Author Note: I'm pretty excited about this chapter. The story itself might speed up a bit so just tell me if I'm going too fast. Also, I've started another story; some of you have already seen it. I think it's pretty kickass so go and look at it! Aaaand now you can read.

The return flight to Ellesmera was awkwardly silent. Payton knew it was her fault. Vanilor's flying capabilities had increased in not only endurance but grace as well. A small smile crept upon her lips when she remembered Thorn's clumsiness, which made her appreciate being with Vanilor again even more.

_I missed you._ Payton led her hands along his smooth scales but Vanilor elicited no response. As Payton sat in the saddle, she noticed how much bigger Vanilor looked. _You've grown._ She made another attempt at talking but it was in vain. _Why can't you just talk to me?_ She growled at him, trying to provoke him into speaking with her, even if it was yelling.

_Why must you insist upon speaking so much?_ He growled in return.

_I am your rider and you are my dragon! Aren't we supposed to speak?_ Her temper rose, as did her tone.

_If you say it that way I do believe we should give and receive one another's advice as well._

_Yes!_ Payton pleaded, _I have managed to fuck up again. I get it, I know I fucked up but you learn from your mistakes is that not what life is about?_ Her statements only caused Vanilor more annoyance.

_It has become apparent to me after your recent venture that you don't learn from your mistakes and any learning you may do, you throw out as if it has no relevance._

_Why are you so upset? I'm okay! Nothing bad has happened to me!_

_No thanks to you! _Vanilor huffed haughtily. _You must consider that people and animals alike perform certain actions for specific reasons, you cannot simply take an action simply for what it is and is not and that goes for both Murtagh and myself._ Vanilor immediately cut off all connection, only infuriating Payton more. Eragon and Saphira had been watching the exchange confusedly. It was as though they were watching a muted soap opera. Payton felt a familiar tugging at her mind and looked around to see Saphira gazing at her from the corner of her eyes. Payton opened her mind to let Saphira in.

_Many events are about to unfold, forgive us for forcing you to return but you are direly needed. _Payton could feel Saphira's warmth and it eased her. Payton ran her hands along Vanilor's scales once again, although he tensed at first, he soon relaxed. Once Payton was sure that Vanilor was no longer mad at her she prodded him gently with her mind.

_It was the elves that took you so long, wasn't it?_ Payton had noticed that they were making excellent time.

_Perhaps._ Vanilor faked a cough as though he had nothing else to say on the matter. _We should arrive by late tonight._ Payton decided upon staying quiet for the rest of the ride.

As estimated, they did arrive late at night, but Payton thought it later than Vanilor had originally thought. Vanilor landed softly outside of Oromis' hut and Payton hugged him goodnight. She opened the window quietly and snuck into her room. She found her bag by her bed and changed into her pajamas. It was such a relief to finally have a change of clothes and to not be stuck in a skirt. She sat on her bed and stretched back only to notice a 'small' pile of scrolls that appeared to have been slowly but surely piling up. Payton decided to ignore it for tonight and actually get a decent rest. She lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She continuously rolled over, praying for sleep, which refused to come to her. She rolled onto her side, the pile of scrolls catching her eye. She walked over and picked up the three scrolls that sat on top. She sat on her bed and leaned her back against the wall and unrolled one of them.

_The Evils Within._ She read the title with contempt. _Although a person may not mean harm to others, they often place others in danger in their attempts to protect them._ She tossed the scroll to the side of the pile. Everyone was so set on lecturing her about her previous actions, it was either that or they were intent on proving to her that Murtagh was terribly evil and he could do nothing good. It was true that Payton had never considered Murtagh to be an angelic figure who would rise above and triumph but he had proven to her that most of what he had done was due to Galbatorix's control over him. Payton's stomach suddenly rumbled. _It's been forever since I've had anything to eat._

Ignoring the pang in her stomach she grabbed a second scroll. The subject of this one interested her, _Fortune Telling_. She read every detail about the uncertainties of telling as well as all of the certainties. She desperately wanted to try fortune telling herself, that is until she learned that the most accurate form of fortune telling was through the use of a dragon's knuckle bones. She shuddered at the thought of what she would have to do to attain some. She set that scroll upon her bedside table and picked up the last of the three.

_Aspects of Dragon Mating._ She hadn't entirely understood why Oromis would give her this scroll but she didn't mind. She smiled at the thought of being… wait… what would she be if Vanilor had a baby dragon? Well, he wouldn't actually have it, but it in a way it'd be his. _Would I be an aunt? Or a grandmother? Vanilor isn't technically my child. The way Oromis explained it; he's a part of me. _Her face contorted oddly. _Would I be a mother? Would it be like my child?_ She searched the contents of the scroll only to find nothing on the matter. One sentence did manage to catch her eye though. _It is tradition that if the parent dragons decide to keep the hatchling for a rider, that a female rider, if present, should cast the spell that would bind the hatchling in the egg until the time came. _She smiled at the thought. Feeling as though sleep had finally prepared to overcome her, she set the scroll next to the other on the table and settled herself under the covers.

The next morning, Payton was still asleep, but she could vaguely feel something. It wasn't touching her, but it was near her. Her eyes shot open and she rolled off the bed, grabbing her sword and holding it up to protect herself.

"Welcome home, your training starts now." Oromis turned his blade and smacked Payton on the side of her knee with the flat edge of the sword. "Get dressed and meet me outside." Payton looked at the red spot on her knee sourly before changing. She found herself once again ecstatic over clothes. She had never cared that much for them before but they really were comfortable. After putting her weighted boots on, she found it much harder to move around than she remembered it being. She met Oromis outside with her bow around her back and her sword in hand. "I see you've noticed the extra weights." He laughed to himself.

"Yeah, it's hard not to." Payton wasn't about to admit her ignorance. She got into a fighting stance in front of Oromis.

"Oh, you won't be fighting me." He stepped aside to reveal Arya standing behind him. "You are once again behind in your training things must go by much faster now." Arya wasted no time in confront Payton in a full on onslaught. At first Payton struggled, it had been far too long for her to go without handling a sword but she quickly regained her skill.

_She must be holding back._ Payton rushed forward with all that she could but Arya swiftly blocked it. "Fight like that all of the time." Payton smiled to her and Arya returned the smile.

"As you wish." Arya returned Payton's attack with several powerful blows of her own. Payton found herself struggling against Arya but she enjoyed it.

_This is what I need._ Payton found herself drawing strength from the depths of her body. The two danced around one another for what seemed like endless hours. Oromis had been watching both of them and jotting down notes occasionally.

"That will be all for today." Oromis set down his notes and waved to them. Both Arya and Payton stopped their swords in mid-air and bowed respectfully. Although Payton had managed to keep up with Arya, she did not do it with ease. Fatigue was visible along all of Payton's features. Her shoulders were slumped, her knees weak, and sweat dripped from every pore on her body. Arya dismissed herself, although fatigued she refused to show it. Payton sat down, slumping against the house.

"What will we be doing next?" Payton knew she wasn't going to be getting any rest from her training anytime soon.

"You have many scrolls." Oromis rolled up the parchment he had been taking notes on and handed it to her. "This contains notes on your fighting, take notice of your mistakes and think of ways to correct them." Oromis began to head inside until he heard Payton's stomach growl. "For now, let us eat." Payton sighed thankfully and followed Oromis in. She ate so quickly she thought she was going to be sick. "No matter how much energy the food has, it will not be going anywhere."

"Sorry." Payton set her plate down in an attempt to slow herself.

"Did you learn anything valuable while in Uru'baen?" Payton's cheeks turned a pink hue. She realized that she hadn't really gathered anything that would be of use to anyone.

"Not really." Payton lowered her head.

"You say that but not all things valuable must be solid unknown information." Payton bit her lip uncertain of what Oromis meant, gathering this he continued. "Did you find anything out about yourself?"

"I want Galbatorix dead. I know that much."

"So you've gained a firm resolve? You are certain that this is the path you want to lead?" Payton nodded her head affirmatively.

"Yes."

"Is there anything else you've learned?" Payton thought vaguely of everything she had done in Uru'baen.

"I can now clean floors efficiently!" Oromis looked at her blankly.

"That was not quite what I was looking for. I want you to look deep within yourself and compile a paper of everything that you have learned." With that Oromis left to his study. Payton finished her meal and went to her room to wage a battle with the large pile of scrolls. Payton read a multitude of different writings, varying from the customs of elves to an extensive history of Alagaesia. She sighed as she had only made it through half of the pile and the sky was beginning to darken rapidly.

_Vanilor?_ Payton found herself missing the connection she used to have with him.

_Yes?_ His reply came softly as though he were a distance away.

_Where are you?_ Payton's heartbeat increased slightly as she worried for him.

_In waiting._ Payton noticed that his tone was different and gave up on questioning him any further. She lay on her bed thinking about everything that was happening around her. She felt so distant from everyone. She hadn't seen Eragon at all since they landed in Ellesmera. Payton was actually surprised that Islanzadi hadn't confronted her yet. Deciding that it was better to not worry about what the queen would say when she saw her, Payton cleared her mind and reached out for all of the life forms around her. She enjoyed Ellesmera much more than Uru'baen. Not only for the fact that Ellesmera lacked a certain man named Galbatorix, but also for the fact that it was so peaceful and full of life. Even with all of the people that had been packed inside of Uru'baen and Galbatorix's castle, they all appeared lifeless.

_I want to change that._ Payton's eyes closed slowly as she lay on her bed, a scroll lay in her left hand until her grasp on it slowly slipped away. The next day Payton woke up to the oddest sensation she believed she had ever felt. It felt as though all of Du Weldenvarden was glowing, vibrating it seemed with energy, each leaf teeming with spirit. Payton felt as though her soul had been renewed overnight. She dressed quickly feeling that something was going to happen very soon. Walking into the living room, she saw Oromis sitting at the table anxiously as though he were waiting for her.

"Are you ready?" He appeared very impatient.

"For what?"

"I assume you have read a majority of the scrolls I have given you" His expression appeared to be a mixture of annoyance and impatience.

"Of course, I've finished nearly half of the pile."

"Then let us be off." Oromis walked outside and two horses were awaiting their arrival. Payton couldn't figure out what exactly was going on. She could speculate, yes, but not all of the facts seemed to fit.

"Could you please tell me where we are going?" Oromis smiled mischievously.

"No," which only served to distress Payton more. "I believe you've received plenty of hints. If you cannot figure it out then you will simply have to wait." The horses led them to the heart of Ellesmera where it seemed as though every elf had gathered, in the center of the elves Vanilor, Glaedr, and Saphira sat. Upon Oromis and Payton's arrival, the elves made a pathway and Oromis led Payton through. Queen Islanzadi stood in front of the three dragons along with Eragon. As they neared the center, Oromis ushered Payton forward, taking his place alongside Glaedr, Islanzadi bowed to Payton and stepped out of the way to reveal a dragon egg, shining a brilliant orange. She took a deep breath, tears in her eyes. Payton wanted to run to Vanilor but something in her heart stopped her. Looking down at the egg, she realized that they wanted it to be an egg for a rider. She smiled up to both Vanilor and Saphira but her smile faded quickly and a blush stained her cheeks. It wasn't that she didn't remember what she had to do but it was one specific detail that she did remember. She recalled exactly what the scroll had said about the ceremony: _It is tradition that if the parent dragons decide to keep the hatchling for a rider, that a female rider, if present should cast the spell that would bind the hatchling in the egg until the time came. Once the binding spell is complete, both dragons would bathe the egg in flames while each rider exchanged the elven greeting and vowed upon one another's lips._ Payton desperately wanted to hide at that moment but she knew how much it meant to not only Vanilor and Saphira but every one of the elves as well. Kneeling down before the egg, Payton placed her gedwey ignasia upon it and spoke.

"Sé wyrda ono varda." At that moment spindly white fibers began to make their way over the egg as though encasing it within a spider web to keep it from hatching. Payton could feel the toll it took upon her body, as well as see it. She looked down at her hands, which were shaking uncontrollably, stood and faced Eragon. Eragon brought his fingers to his lips and spoke first.

"Payton-elda, Atra esterní ono thelduin."

"Atra du evarínya ono varda." Payton returned, her blush fading and tears in her eyes but not out of sadness.

"Un atra mor'ranr lífa unin hjarta onr." He finished and took her hands in his.

_Let's just pour salt on the wounds. _Payton thought grimly. _If it isn't bad enough that he doesn't like you, let's force him to kiss you!_ Payton looked up at Eragon who's cheeks looked just as red as hers felt. As their lips neared one another, Payton could feel the fire from both Saphira and Vanilor enveloping the egg and permeating the atmosphere. Their lips touched, softly at first but then firmly. Payton had wished desperately that they had been given time to talk about this in some way. _Was it supposed to be a long kiss? Just a peck? Am I kissing too much? Am I a bad kisser? Is he a bad kisser? Does this technically count as my first kiss?_ Before Payton could find any answers to her questions, it was over and all of the elves were cheering. Desperate to get away from the awkward scenario as well as hide her red face, Payton ran over to Vanilor and hugged him. At that moment she didn't care that he hadn't told her about it. She didn't care about her training. She didn't care about the stupid kiss her and Eragon had just shared. She knew the dragons had a chance of survival and that was what was truly important. _I want everyone to see the beauty of dragons; I want every generation to be able to share their lives with dragons. Thank you for giving everyone that chance. _Payton felt tears fall from her eyes and Vanilor's comforting words in her heart.

_I love you and thank you for blessing the egg. _It was then that she understood all of the hints. Vanilor wanted her back for this ceremony and Oromis had placed that scroll on top for a reason. It was as though fate had made everything possible.

Author Note: Yaaay!! It's a little short but it's perfect. At least I hope. If you find any errors, do share. I made up the entire dragon egg bit myself but it seemed logical and it seemed to flow. A little note about the Payton/Eragon/Murtagh thing. I refuse to have a story where it's love at first sight, they both see each other and happily ever after. Payton still likes Eragon if you hadn't noticed. Trust is something that grows, something that Murtagh will have to earn from Payton. It doesn't grow on trees people!! Anywho, pretty please review!

P.S. You would have had this yesterday but decides it hates me TT Wouldn't let me upload anything. But now I can! So yay.


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

Eragon – Oops! – Chapter Twenty-six

Author Note: Thinking about this, it may very well become like 40 chapters. So I think I'll definitely try to speed it up a bit.

Something that has been brought to my attention is that this is sometimes confusing. Sometimes things don't make sense and it may leave you wondering but I know things that you don't and I'm omniscient so I can't just come out and say it to you. And just to clear up any confusion, the egg was indeed Saphira's and Vanilor's. Glaedr was standing in the middle kind of like the minister at a wedding. It was also brought to my attention that Payton's fairth doesn't really make sense. When Eragon cast the spell to bring her there, she saw the egg grabbed it and was brought there. Maybe this doesn't make sense but it did to me at the time. Also, it was sheer coincidence that Thorn and Murtagh were separated temporarily. Then, before Thorn could come back Murtagh told him not to.

Payton had dedicated the rest of that day to catching up on everything she had missed. Vanilor and Saphira's romance had started just after she left, since Vanilor found he had multitudes of free time. Roran and Katrina had been married in Surda not long after her rescue. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Sloan had not been found in Hellgrind. It had been a week since Du Dagshelgr Skulblaka, The Hallowed day of Dragons, as the elves had called it. Elves who were considered to be young had been waiting with anticipation for the day when they could touch the egg to see if it would hatch for them. Payton hadn't had much time to ponder over if the egg would hatch or when it would hatch, for each of her days was filled with training like none before. Some days she would spar with Eragon and others with Arya. There were also rare occasions when they would be partners and be forced to spar many opponents.

"Master Oromis, what will you have us do today?" Payton had woken up not too long ago and found Oromis in the main dwelling of the hut.

"Your mental barriers will need more work so you will be practicing your concentration today. Then there will be a special ceremony." Oromis waved his hand to show that she was not to ask any more questions.

_Do you know what's happening today? _Payton left the hut and situated herself against the trunk of a tree.

_There are many things I know._ She could hear Vanilor chuckle.

_Well I'm glad for that but would you care to share it with me?_ She hated it when everyone seemed to know except her.

_No, you will see. I'm sure it will be something that you will enjoy._ With that she could feel Vanilor distance himself from her. Sighing, she waited for Eragon to arrive. They had practiced holding up their mental barriers before, it always involved Eragon and Payton sparring while one tried to attack the other mentally and then vice-versa. Even on occasion, Oromis would hide inside his hut and watch from the window while viciously berating one of their minds.

The wind blew lightly and Payton could feel herself becoming drowsy. Her body slipped into, what she first thought was sleep, but it was something else. Everything around her was dark; she could hear chains clanking around monotonously. Looking down at her hands, they appeared translucent, as though she were there, but not entirely. She took a deep breath only to find that she could even smell the air. The smell was unpleasant and it caught in her throat, she choked back a cough for fear that someone would hear her and made her way slowly down the corridor. Although the air was musty, she could see no reason for it, until the corridor opened to a large room. Each wall of the room was lined with people, chained to the walls. In the center of the room stood a large pot with odorless fumes rising from it, which permeated the air. Payton stopped and knelt by the wall, feeling as though she were about to vomit. She choked but no sound came out. She looked up in surprise as she noticed that nobody could see her. As the choking subsided, she stood up slowly, clutching her stomach as if it were going to come back at any moment. Taking a step forward, she noticed for the first time that her footsteps made no sound. Her vision began to blur as they filled with tears, not paying attention, her foot caught on a chain and she fell to the ground. She could feel the pain, she looked down at her knee to see a small patch of scraped skin, and blood began to cover it. _What is this?_ All of her senses worked perfectly but she made no sound and nobody could see her. Standing up, she ventured forth hoping that she would either wake up or find a way out. From the middle of the room, very little light was available. Staggering forward, she gasped in horror at what she saw. Her hands covered her mouth as she felt even more tears falling from her eyes. Unable to control herself, she let out a blood-curdling scream, to her surprise; the noise resonated throughout the chamber.

"I'm so glad to see that you could make it." Galbatorix turned around, allowing Murtagh to be in full view. He was wearing only his pants, blood stained every inch of his skin. His hair was matted with blood as well. Parts of his skin were burnt while others were scratched; his chest had three large gashes across it as though he had been clawed. Galbatorix quickly advanced on the stunned Payton. Galbatorix held Payton by the neck; she could feel his nails digging into her skin. Payton could feel him tearing at her mind. She blocked her mind for as long as she could but she could feel him forcing his way through. She gasped through his grip as she felt something else in her mind, blocking everything that was sacred. Galbatorix seemed to realize this and tightened his grip on her neck.

_Will I die? _She could feel all thoughts slipping from her. She vaguely saw Murtagh look up at her, his eyes entirely void of any emotion. She lost all of her senses momentarily before she could feel a wave of energy sweep over her. She could feel herself clawing at the ground as she gasped for breath frantically.

"Drink this," she felt something come to her lips as a liquid dripped down her throat, burning slightly. Coughing, she vaguely remembered that it would restore her energy. She took several hoarse breaths, feeling as though each one was a struggle. "Get her inside," she recognized the voice as Oromis. She opened her eyes slightly to see Eragon and Oromis kneeling over her, Vanilor, Saphira, and Glaedr in the background. Her entire body was numb from exhaustion. "You need to rest." Payton tried to resist, but her body succumbed to true sleep this time.

_You must wake up. It is almost time._ Vanilor nudged Payton softly with his mind. Payton opened her eyes slowly. Her entire body was sore. Sitting up slowly she looked down at her knee, which appeared to be okay.

_What is going on?_ She stood and walked over to the mirror that hung on the wall. Examining her neck, she found four marks on the side. _What happened to me earlier?_ Payton did her best to remain calm.

_Oromis will explain it to you later, for now, there is something you must attend._ Vanilor was stationed outside of her window. Payton climbed out the window and placed herself on Vanilor's back. He didn't have a saddle but it was fine for such a short flight.

_What is with all of the sudden celebrations?_ Payton was still exhausted from earlier. Vanilor landed in front of the Menoa Tree and next to Saphira. As Payton dismounted Vanilor, she found Eragon and together they walked down the center, Islanzadi, Arya, and Rhunön all awaited them at the base of the tree. As they stood in front of the trio, Eragon nodded to Payton and they both kneeled with their heads bowed.

"Shadeslayer," Rhunön spoke confidently, "I informed you that I would no longer make any weapons for the riders, fortunately, I find myself taking back my words." Payton and Eragon lifted their heads to listen to Rhunön speak. She smiled before continuing on. "You have both proven yourselves pure. Eragon-finiarel, Payton-elda." She took a small pause before continuing, "I give these both to you." Rhunön turned and accepted a marvelous blue sword from Islanzadi. "It's name, is Endeavor." Eragon smiled appreciatively to Rhunön who then accepted a glimmering green sword from Arya. "For you, Payton, Salvation." Payton and Eragon stood and held their swords up for all of the elves to see. The elves cheered and the two riders made their way back to their dragons and took off.

_You need to rest. _Vanilor could feel that Payton was drained of energy.

_I want answers first._ They landed outside Oromis hut where he awaited them outside.

"Come inside, there is much explaining to do." Oromis opened the door and both Eragon and Payton sat down at the table and Oromis took his seat. "If I may have both of your necklaces." Payton and Eragon removed the jewelry that had been used to keep others from scrying and spoke softly. Both of the necklaces shone lightly before returning to their normal color. Oromis handed them back to their owners. "That should keep you safe." Eragon and Payton listened intently while Saphira and Vanilor listened through their counterparts. "What happened earlier was dark magic. Much like how spirits control a shade, Galbatorix managed to manipulate them to temporarily take you, although not physically." Oromis rethought his wording before continuing, "every part of you with the exception of your body was taken. He replaced the spirits with you. So essentially you were taken there. Everything about that event was real."

"I couldn't make any noise at first." Oromis lifted a hand to silence Payton.

"Not everyone can see spirits, so those that cannot see spirits cannot see you they cannot hear you either. Much like scrying you must have come in contact with that person in a previous scenario as well as know their name." Oromis stood and prepared a plate of fruit for each of them. "Tell me what you saw." Payton fiddled with her hands momentarily before beginning.

"It was dark, but I think it was a dungeon." She could feel her heart racing within her chest. "There was some kind of cauldron in the center of the room and it was emitting a gas. I still had all of my senses but the gas was odorless. There were people held in chains lining the walls." Her voice began to crack as she recalled every detail in her mind, although not describing it as brutesquely to Oromis or Eragon. "On the far side of the wall, Murtagh was chained up and Galbatorix was there. He saw me and he started to choke me." She stared down at the floor.

"Could Murtagh see you?" Oromis handed them each a plate before resuming his seat.

"I'm not sure, he looked up but he may have just been looking at Galbatorix."

"Are the marks still on your neck?" Payton reached up to touch them and nodded when she felt them. "I don't believe they will go away. The spirits have left a mark upon your body. It's much like the scar Eragon held from Durza except I doubt that it will bother you at all in battle." Payton picked at the fruit, her body was not ready to accept the meal.

"I think I'm going to rest." Payton didn't want to think about it anymore. She made her way to her room and lay on her bed. She didn't want to sleep, truth be told she was terrified.

_Come outside. _She saw Vanilor peaking into her room from the window. She obeyed quietly and crawled underneath his extended wing.

_Thank you._ Her body was more tired than she had originally thought; she fell asleep quickly with Vanilor's assistance.

She smiled softly to herself, she'd been awake for a while, but she didn't want to get up. Payton couldn't help but find herself from comparing Vanilor to a comfort blanket of a small child. She thought of a stuffed dragon Vanilor and had to keep herself from laughing. If he knew she was awake he'd make her get up and begin her training.

_You underestimate me._ Vanilor lifted his wing and nudged her still form. Stretching slowly, Payton looked up to him and smiled innocently.

_Good Mooooorning. _She threw a quick yawn in there.

_You've been awake for the last half hour. _Vanilor chastised her. _Next time you want to pretend to wake up, don't yawn mentally._

_I don't know what you're talking about. _She stood up and stretched all of her limbs. Before Payton could argue her innocence any further, a ball of water was torpedoing through the air directly at the back of Payton's head. Vanilor chuckled quietly, only causing to distract Payton more and within seconds she was drenched from head to toe. She turned quickly and drew Salvation from its' sheathe. "Come out," Payton smiled mischievously. Hearing something behind her, she turned around but it was too late and she found herself drenched once again by another sphere of water.

_Your lesson for today is to learn to locate magic that is coming at you._ Vanilor laughed at Payton before swiftly taking off into the air, destroying any hope of hiding that she may have had. She returned her sword to its sheathe and closed her eyes, focusing her mind on the surrounding area. It wasn't long that she found herself gasping for breath. Another sphere of water had managed to soak her once again. Frowning, Payton sat down and tried to focus. As several more blobs of water came down upon her, she learned to feel the vibrations they sent through the air. After being pelted with enough of them, she could almost tell where they were coming from. Finally learning how to sense them, she stood up wet and frustrated.

"Sure, I can locate them, but how am I supposed to stop them?" She shouted loud enough for Oromis to hear from wherever he sat. Pushing her wet hair out of her face, she marched back into the hut to find Oromis sitting on a chair that was conveniently located near the window.

"I will not be on the battlefield to give you the answers." Oromis picked up several pieces of fruit and began to chew them quietly.

"And I highly doubt Galbatorix will be pelting me with balls of water." Payton could feel herself dripping steadily.

"Expect the unexpected." Oromis stood from his chair and walked over to Payton, resting his hand on her forehead. "Reisa du adurna." The water lifted itself from Payton and Oromis directed it outside before venturing outside himself. Shoving several more pieces of fruit in her mouth, Payton followed him warily. "Have you had any practice with Salvation?"

"I think if I had, you would know." Payton had grown tired of riddles and hidden meanings within all of Oromis' phrases.

"There is more to practice than simply fighting." He turned briskly, facing Payton. "Have you placed any energy into it yet?"

"No," Payton grumbled quietly.

"Have you thought any on its meaning?" He continued to lecture her more.

"No, I haven't. I've barely had the damn thing." Payton's frustration began to show. "What little time I have had it, I've been either suffocating or unconscious. I could care less about my sword means at the moment. What I do care about is knowing what consequences these marks upon my neck may have." She turned on her heels and marched back into the hut and made her way into her room, plopping herself on the bed. Frustrated, she unsheathed Salvation and threw it across the room, it landed gracefully, it's tip sticking into the wood and holding the sword upright. She glared at the damned thing, but her vision soon fell upon a book that she hadn't noticed before.

_Domia Abr Wyrda_. She picked up the book and weighed the massive tome in her hands. _The Dominance of Fate._ She scoffed at the title. Despite her annoyance in the title, Payton lay on the bed, flipping to random pages. She read a couple sentences before flipping through more pages. She set the book down on her bedside table and lay her head on the pillow. _So fate plays a major role in life. By this thesis, than I am here for a specific purpose and I have received Salvation for that specific purpose, life is supposed to connect it all in some way._ She hated to think about something that Oromis had just lectured her on, but she felt curious about this subject. _Salvation, rescue, deliverance._ She pondered the meaning and significance of Salvation in her mind._ Relief, release, assistance. Who's salvation am I?_ Her mind immediately connected it to all of Alagaesia but she shook her head. _Eragon is Alagaesia's salvation. _

Thinking of Eragon, she remembered the name of his new sword. _Endeavor. Venture, attempt, challenge, risk, peril._ It was no doubt that everything Eragon had been through had been an adventure, with plenty of risks, so what was the purpose of naming his sword as such? _How do they come up with the names of swords? _Payton lay on the bed with her eyes closed, tapping the wood lightly as she thought. _What's in a name?_ She laughed at herself as she remembered the classic Shakespeare line. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. _What more could there be? _She knew that as soon as she left her room Oromis would question her on what she learned. _Who needs to be saved?_ Sighing, she sat up and retrieved Salvation before returning to her bed. Planning for the future, she stored what energy she could spare for the moment in the brilliant emerald that lay in its hilt. Payton lay back on her bed, Salvation resting by her side. She felt a noticeable difference in her energy. She hadn't thought she had put that much energy into Salvation. Payton could feel herself drifting into sleep but fear struck her. This sleep felt different, fear struck her and she panicked. She couldn't move her body or stop it from drifting into sleep.

This sleep was different from the last she had endured. She couldn't see herself or move. It was as though she were omniscient. It was cloudy at first but as the scene in front of her came into view, she could see very clearly. Every little detail was shown to her in horrifying clarity. It was the dungeon she had been in before and Murtagh was still chained to the wall. He was vomiting a mixture of blood and stomach acid although a majority of it seemed to be blood. His hair was matted to his face whether it be from blood or sweat, Payton didn't know. Blood caked every inch of his body and in some places; fresh blood could be seen oozing from open wounds. Payton could see beads of sweat pouring down his face and his body. Payton could feel her stomach churning and when she felt as though she could no longer take anymore, her eyes shot open. She rolled to the side of the bed quickly and vomited onto the floor.

_I'll be your salvation. _Payton sat up and wiped her mouth disgustedly.

Author Note: Jeez. That chapter took so long to write. I swear it wasn't my fault though! I had track and work and it was oh so terrible. Please review!


	28. Journal Entry 1

Dear... me?

I can't help but feel odd. I'm writing to myself about... everything that's happened since I got here.(?) I know what happened wasn't a normal everyday occurence. Not for the world I came from and not for the world I'm in now. But what if I'm not the only one to have 'moved'? Is that even what I could call it? But that isn't the real reason that I'm writing this... I'm writing it too... Sort through my feelings? I guess that's why I'm writing it. Because ever since I got here I've handled it as best as I possibly could. I think I've handled it fairly well. As a child I was used to moving. My father was a politician so we had to move wherever he was working. He's been gradually moving his way up the 'ranks' and we've had to move so that he could be closer to his office quite a few times. Is that why this hasn't come as such a big shock to me? Granted, this isn't really like moving... not really at all.

Another thing that bothers me... I love my family and all but... why don't I miss them so much? I haven't broken down and really cried since the day I got here. After that I resolved to keep my head high... Because that's what mom would want. "You have to make the best of a bad situation." That's what she would tell me. So that's what I've been doing. Even though 'bad situation' is a bit of an understatement.

I feel like I've been gullible though. There are two sides to every story. Maybe Galbatorix has his own story? I can't see how he could possibly justify anything he's done. Attempted rape, attempted murder, I have no doubt in my mind that he's an evil SoB that deserves certain death, but... I can't help but wonder what happened to make him that way? I have no way of knowing because I wasn't there and people are always bias. So I guess, no matter what happens, I'm going to continue my training and follow my heart. Because that's what my mom would want.

Mom... I can't be certain that she's okay, but I feel it. I feel like everyone at home is okay. I think that's what has helped me cope so far. My father would probably lead a search party for me. I feel kind of bad about that. Especially if a lot of people are putting forth an effort to find me because they won't find anything. I'm not there anymore. I wish I could just send them a message, just to tell them that I'm okay, to be able to do more would be nice... but beggars can't be choosers.

Am I okay? Is all of this really okay? I hate myself for giving up so easily. For resolving that there is no way to get back home, but other than 'going with the flow' what can I really do? It's not like I could have just wandered off on my own. Am I a bad person? I feel like I've given up on my family. It's not that I gave up on them necessarily, I'm just trying to find a place for myself here.

What kind of place could I have here... the only people I really know are Oromis and Eragon. Even then, it's not like we're all close. Eragon is... I like him... a lot... I think? He likes Arya though, and if I said anything to him about that, things would definately become awkward. Oromis is more like a father figure... who I doubt wants me living with him forever. Oh wait, I 'know' Murtagh! Oh the joy. Does spending 12 hours and recieving a kiss even count as knowing someone? He's definately out of the question for the 'somewhere I belong' category. But if I am his salvation... How do you save someone if you can't save yourself? ((Depressing topic, let's change it.))

I'm considering turning this notebook into a journal of sorts. To tell of my adventures! If ((albeit a very large if)) I ever get back, it could help explain everything that's happened to me. Or just save me a lot of time of repeating and/or explaining it myself.

I might as well try.

So, today. Wanna know what I learned? It's more of the Eragon subject matter so I forewarn whoever reads this because I know nobody likes to read about a 15 year olds love life ((or lack thereof)), but apparently Angela predicted his fortune and surprise, surprise Eragon is going to marry a princess! Wonder who that could be? Not I, that's for sure! It's Arya! Which... hurts? I'm not so sure. It finalizes things and lets me know that I don't have a snowball's chance in Hell. Which says that it's time to move on! It's still a little depressing though. I'm not even going to go into what happened at the Dragon Egg Mating Ceremony thing.

Everyday life hasn't changed much. I do love Salvation, it makes me feel 'cool' I guess just because of the way it looks when it swipes through the air. Immature, yeah, but let's not forget I'm only 15. Maybe I'm 16 by now? I don't know, I don't have a calendar since my phone is no longer functioning properly and I'm afraid to turn my Ipod on because I have no way to charge it if it should die. But enough rambling. Training is per usual, definately intense. I think I've accomplished a lot, although not nearly as much as Eragon. I'm a little nervous about fighting Galbatorix... or fighting in general... ((understatement of the century.)) ((Note to self:: Stop being so hypocritical))

I want these marks on my neck to go away. 1- they aren't attractive 2- they're abso-fucking-lutely terrifying. Mom, if you ever read this, I swear I don't normally curse this much. I haven't had those dreams again. But if they come back what can I possibly do? Meeeh. I've already stayed up past my 'bed time' as designated by Oromis. Oh the joy. Maybe I'll write again... and maybe someday... everyone can read this.

-Payton

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Author Note: I haven't been able to write... not so sure why, I just haven't. I got the idea to write in First Person from... myself! Yay me. I wanted to write a journal type entry for Payton so that she could be more rounded I guess just because I was re-reading Oops! and she seemed so ugh in the beginning. It also seemed like she just didn't have any kind of emotional response to anything and she was just stupid. Re-reading this story, I think it's utterly terrible. I really, really hate it. So maybe one day I can go back and edit everything and fix it up a bit. So, I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever. I don't have a good excuse, I just wasn't writing. Incase you couldn't tell, some time has passed since the last chapter. Tell me what you think of the whole first person thing! I am curious, I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea or not but I figured it was better than not posting ever. Incase it brought up any confusion, all of the parenthesis are Payton's thoughts that she's writing separate from her journal entry. Basically the devil's advocate of her thoughts. 


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